All You Wanted
by PenPrincess
Summary: (SM/FF8, postgame)Caught in the midst of a desperate attempt to overtake the world, three girls are hurled into another time as part of a malicious plan of revenge. What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger, right?
1. Prologue

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
****All You Wanted  
****(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**

_"What was she like?"_

_"What was who like?"_

_"You _know_ who I'm talking about..."_

_"It won't make you uncomfortable if I talk about her?"_

_"No, not at all. I think it would do just the opposite."_

_"She was...like a glass of water on an extremely hot day."_

-- *zzZZzZ* --

An angel came down from the sky. She patted the large lion on the head and gave him a warm, familiar smile. The lion purred happily, and licked at her hand. She was so pretty. All pearly white, with dark, contrasting black hair. Her eyes were brown. She was so small and beautiful and just gorgeous. How could he not love and protect her? Protecting her was more important than his own life was. Angels are so delicate...This time she had brought a toy for him. The lion smiled at her, wondering what on Gaea he would do with it. He was a lion. Toys were beneath him. She held out two small figurines to him, a dinosaur and a doll.

"It was all I could find for us to play with," she explained. "Are you going to play with me, Sir Knight?"

The lion nodded. Anything to make his dear angel happy. She was so pretty. The angel gestured for him to pick a figurine. Of course, the lion took the dinosaur, deciding it was manlier. The angel frowned.

"Take the doll. I brought the doll for you," she said, "The dinosaur is mine. Or maybe I am the dinosaur's, who knows?"

The lion was a bit puzzled by her statement. Her took the doll in his paw and stared at it. It was a rather pretty doll, with long hair and eyes that seemed almost real...A small silver heart held a bow in the center of the doll's chest. On it, two letters were engraved:

_MA_

"**M**y **A**ngel..." he whispered.

"That's right," the angel said to her lion. "This way, you'll always remember..."

The angel set the dinosaur down in front of the lion. She planted a small kiss on his forehead, waved goodbye, and flew back to the sky from which she came. The lion clutched his doll close to his heart, unaware that he wouldn't see his angel again for a long time...

-- *zZzzzzZzZ* --

Squall woke up in quite a sweat. He was breathing heavily. In a frenzy, he groped around in the darkness for Rinoa. When his hand found her hip, she groaned a little.

"Mmm...are you ok...?" she sighed groggily. Squall kissed her cheek softly. He blessed Hyne for sending him Rinoa, and then he thanked Hyne for the dream. Dreams with Rinoa in them, even if they were a bit weird, were all good. She was good.

-- ** --

He sensed something was wrong when Quistis, Seifer and Zell returned from their mission. Quistis' eyes were puffy, and Zell looked like he had been hit by a bus. Even Seifer looked somewhat dismayed- that air of arrogance that constantly surrounded him was replaced by...sorrow? Squall cocked his head and asked, "What's going on?" A red flag rose in his mind as Edea and Cid entered the library. "Is Rinoa waiting in my dorm for me?" he asked as he stood, figuring that whatever it was that went wrong, she would be the one to break it to him.

Edea sighed a great sigh when she saw him. The melancholic look she gave him in response to his question was all Squall needed.

Piece by piece, his heart dissolved to nearly nothing.

What was a knight without his sorceress?

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
| **** End of Prologue ****|  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**


	2. Everything I Knew, Dissolving

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
****All You Wanted  
****(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**

(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
( _I wanted, _)  
( _To be like you, _)  
( _I wanted everything. _)  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)

_"What was your life like before you met me?"_

_"Mmm...dull, definitely dull."_

_"Even with your ability to transform? The life of a senshi sounds exciting."_

_"It _was_ exciting, but after the Negaverse stopped trying to take the gizinshou, there was no one to fight. Transforming became sort of a like an old toy...it just stayed there, was never used and got rusty."_

_"Rusty?"_

_"Yep. I was definitely rusty that day."_

-- ** --

Rei, Minako and Ami were hanging out at Rei's shrine. Rei should've been doing some cleaning, but she had been cleaning all day and she rather enjoyed talking to two of her best friends. Ami and Minako had stopped by because they were bored out of their heads, too.

"How long has it been since we've transformed?" Ami asked, taking a nostalgic look onto her face. "It feels like it's been forever."

Rei sighed, "It _has_."

Minako nodded in agreement and sighed aloud. She missed transforming, as did all of the senshi.

"Hey, why didn't you guys bring Usagi and Makoto?" Rei quizzed abruptly, as if she just now realized they weren't present.

Minako giggled, "Makoto found another guy who looks like her ex-"

"And Usagi is grounded for grades," Ami finished.

"I should've guessed," Rei snickered. "Hey, let's get out of here. The shrine is so peaceful, I feel like we're intruding by talking."

"Yeah, you're right," Ami shuddered. "I'm hungry, anyone else?"

"I am."

"Me too," Minako said, "Let's go to the new resturaunt that opened up on Main Street."

"Ok," Rei replied, "but let me get changed first. I can't possibly leave this place dressed like this."

Minako and Ami waited silently outside of the shrine for Rei. When she returned, they set off to Noh's, the new resturaunt Minako spoke of. They walked slowly down the stone steps, unrushed.

"How did you guys do on your Japanese history test?" Ami asked.

"Not great," Minako replied, "but there was stuff on the test he didn't even go over!"

Rei agreed, "I know. At least two of the questions were on the Meiji era, and that's not until Unit 24. We're barely on Unit 17. How does Mr. Osaka expect us to know that stuff?"

"I knew it," Ami put in.

"But that's because you've read the history book cover-to-cover," Minako reasoned. "Is anyone hot? I'm feeling really hot all of a sudden..."

"Have not! I just like to do a little extra reading every now and then. The Meiji era was a very interesting time period- Minako?"

Minako began furiously fanning herself. Rei arched an eyebrow and asked, "Are you ok, Mina-chan?"

"Yeah, just a little hot," Minako reassured. Rei studied her more closely, and found beads of sweat forming on her brow.

"I think you have a fever," Ami declared. She put a hand to Minako's forehead. "You're burning up! We need to take you to see a doctor, quick! If it goes any higher, you'll be delirious-"

Suddenly the ground began to shake, and the girls lost their balance on the stone steps.

"An earthquake?!" Minako shouted.

Ami stood up and doubled back in horror. While Rei and Minako were recovering from their fall, she had seen it. A large, spider-like monster was coming up from behind the shrine. It was huge, and it had several eyes and legs. Lava seemed to be trapped inside its body. It stomped over in her direction, crushing everything beneath it. The air around them grew hotter and more humid as it got nearer. It was a long while that Ami stood staring at it, but she finally managed to shout, "Mercury..." Of course, nothing happened. In utter terror, Ami stood. Her brain clouded over and she found it hard to think. She knew what she was supposed to say in order to transform, but it wouldn't come to her lips.

Rei and Minako finally saw the giant spider, and they, too, tried to transform. It was amazing, really. They hadn't transformed in so long, they had nearly forgotten how to do it. They stood looking at each other, dumbfounded. Rei closed her eyes and cleared her mind as if she were going to meditate. It was like playing a game of Guess...Her mind shot possibilities at her and each one was wrong, wrong, wrong...ah! There it was!

"Mars Crisis Make Up!" she cried. The other girls jerked as if slapped, and then they transformed. When the process was over and the blinding lights had faded, Sailor Mars, Sailor Venus, and Sailor Mercury stood ready to fight.

"Mercury...Aqua....Rhapsody!" Mercury shouted, making the first attack. A large spiral of water shot at the spider, and the thing gave a great loud roar. It fell to the ground, as if dead, but it picked itself back up and lunged at the three girls with fury. Now it was standing above them, and the three senshi stared at it in awe. They had never fought anything like it.

"Foolish girls..." it said.

Sailor Mars started and exclaimed, "Ack! It talks!" A sound rose from the main body of the spider, and Mercury guessed it was laughter of some sort. Mars and Venus began backing away slowly. Mercury flipped on her visor and studied it as she backed slowly away. Unfortunately, she was going backwards down steps.

"It has a weakness to water. Mars, don't use any of your attacks, because you'll only heal it. It's amazingly strong..." Sailor Mercury informed the other two girls. "It's going to take more than the three of us to defeat it! Someone contact the others-"

A great black wave emitted from the spider. It hit all of them, and suddenly they felt very weak. Mercury fell to her knees, and Mar collapsed next to her. Sailor Venus managed to stay on her feet for a few minutes, but she slouched on one of the stone steps.

"What...what was that?" Mars cried. She began to crawl. She willed herself onto her legs, but she couldn't do it. She was too weak at the moment. Sailor Mercury stood up.

"Mercury...Aqua...Rhapsody!" Mercury cried once more. She poured her whole being into it, and she kept a tunnel of water flowing at the great spider for a long time. When her attack was through, she collapsed onto her knees, and nearly fell back. Mars caught her to save her from tumbling down the steps to her death.

The spider's legs apparently gave out, because the main body fell to the floor. It roared.

"You leave me no choice," it said.

Mars and Venus pulled Sailor Mercury to her feet.

"It's going to attack again!" Venus cried, "Run!"

Ami shook her head. She couldn't possibly run, she couldn't even walk! Despite her friend's urgings, Ami's knees gave out again and she fell the floor.

"She's too weak," Venus said. "We'll have to-"

A great explosion sounded. Though each of the girls braced themselves for intense fire, it didn't come. Instead, a warm liquid like feeling spread over their bodies. Their surroundings faded and faded until they were alone in a never ending blackness.

"What's going..." Ami tried to say. A feeling had come over her that was hard to describe. She felt like a water balloon that had just been popped, and all the water was flowing out of it. Her hands rose in front of her...and they seemed to be dissolving. Each tiny cell in her body was rising, floating up into the air like pixie dust. A sucking feeling consumed her, and the last thing she heard was Rei shouting her name.

Minako watched in horror as Ami dissolved. She ran to Rei, who was thankfully still whole. Rei was waving her arms furiously in the spot where Ami had previously been. Suddenly, raven strands of Rei's hair began to rise, like there was no gravity. Then it dissolved into dust and rose into the air like Ami had. Minako backed away. Rei turned around just as her whole body seemed to explode into tiny particles, and they floated up into the sky. She rose her hand to her mouth in disgust, but she found that it was disolving also. Minako slumped to the ground. She was feeling so very lightheaded, and then...

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
| **** End of Chapter 1 ****|  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**


	3. Homesick

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
****All You Wanted  
****(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**

(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
( _So I tried, _)  
( _To be like you, _)  
( _And I got swept away. _)  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)

_-- *_Chapter 2: Homesick* --

_"I thought I had died on gone to heaven when I saw you."_

_"I have that effect on a girl."_

_"No- your eyes were just so breathtakingly gorgeous. I really thought I was in heaven. Of course, I was also about to be eaten, but that's just how beautiful you are to me."_

-- ** --

Squall, Quistis, Zell, Selphie and Seifer were trekking through the forest near Balamb Garden in search of T-Rexaurs. Cid was in need of a Dino Bone, so they offered to find one for him. Five people were not needed, but they all wanted a break from the daily SeeD drag. Life at Balamb so was very peaceful, and of course, it bored the hell out of all of them.

Quistis had her instructor's license reinstated. Needless to say, the Trepies rejoiced and got schedule changes.

Zell and Selphie were promoted to the highest SeeD rank for their services during the second Sorceress War. They even received cute little plaques from Garden, thanking them.

Squall was still commander, though there wasn't much for him to do. Cid constantly asked for advice, still, and Squall was put in charge of training new gunblade specialists.

Seifer had been readmitted to Balamb Garden, to the huge anger of many students, but he was kept under extreme watch. He knew the rule: one strike, you're out. He had been extremely careful for the first few months, but after they passed and the students of Balamb got over their grudges against him, he became the same old Seifer, to Raijin's and Fujin's ultimate delight. Within two years, he passed his SeeD exam and was made into a SeeD. He quickly progressed through the ranks, and he was placed nearly as highly as Zell and Selphie, though not quite.

Irvine was not with them at the moment, because he was studying for a SeeD exam. He had failed it three times; the only person who had failed more than that was Seifer.

"Someone remind me why we aren't in the Training Center," Quistis requested irritably, swatting away mosquitoes. Since they had exited the main building of Balamb Garden, the mosquitoes attacked Quistis in swarms. There were several red bumps all over neck and legs. She scratched them angrily.

Squall grinned. It was amusing seeing Quistis this way. Almost nothing ever irritated her- she was such a calm woman. To see her so unraveled by flies- Squall found it hilarious. He shrugged and gave a look to Seifer, who gladly obliged.

"I killed all the T-Rexaurs in the training center, remember?" Seifer answered. He smirked that famous smirk of his. Quistis glared at him. She hissed as another bug got her. She slapped at her arm. Seifer chuckled quietly.

Selphie clutched her nunchakus. "It's getting dark. Should we turn back?"

Squall looked up. Though the sky was partially covered by trees, Squall could see that dusk was settling over Balamb and Garden. There was a small tremor in the ground beneath him, and he spread his legs to steady himself.

"A T-Rexaur," Zell said, "it's a T-Rexaur. Running, or stomping around."

"Good _job_, chicken-wuss!" Seifer snorted.

"--ELP! HELP!...SOMEBODY-" came a strangled cry. Another voice cried out, "It's...not...working- HELP!"

Zell's head snapped in the direction of the voice. He saw a huge tree begin to shake. Suddenly, it was falling over-

"RUN!" Zell cried. "RUN! THE TREE!" He pointed up and gestured quickly for everyone to get out. Quistis stared at the falling tree for a moment. Selphie yanked on her arm and pulled her away. In the place Quistis had been just a few moments before, the thick trunk of a tree crashed down. The ground around it seemed to shake, and Quistis lost her balance. She fell over, nearly taking Selphie with her.

Squall had been gone long before the tree landed, though. He was running in the direction of the screams. He found the T-Rexaur, huge and menacing. In front of it were three woman who looked about his age. They were close to each other, cowering back. He didn't blame them- the T-Rexaur roared, and it looked as though they would be its lunch.

"Hey, over here!" he shouted. "OVER HERE!" The T-Rexaur spun around. _Bad idea, Squall_, he thought to himself. Not only was the T-Rexaur turned to him, his tail and whipped over and knocked the three girls half across the clearing. They were thrown together in a pile of tangled limbs. For a fleeting instant, Squall thought they were dead, however, they began to stir and one managed to stand up.

Not wasting another moment, Squall closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt his mind begin to work...he was calling someone, someone...he kept calling...louder...he could feel his presence coming...closer...closer...he could _sense_ him, he was almost there- Ah! He was ready. Squall had found him.

"Dark Messenger," Squall said, almost in a whisper. The world around him faded. It was him and the T-Rexaur, alone in the blackness. Squall saw what was happening through Diablos' eyes, saw the bats fly away, saw the amazing ball of power formed, saw the ball thrown at the T-Rexaur, saw the ancient symbols form in a circle. He had seen it millions of times before. He knew, of course, because of Diablos' limits, that the T-Rexaur would not be finished.

When he was back in his normal surrounding, Squall inhaled. The T-Rexaur was alive and most angry. It roared with fury and lunged at Squall. A sharp claw hit him in the stomach. He looked down at himself, and a small amount of blood was ruining his white shirt. The corners of his mind heard a shout. _This is one powerful_...his thoughts became cloudy..._T-Rexaur. That attack took a lot_...cloudier..._out of me..._His lungs seemed to tighten and then explode in his chest. His vision became blurred, but he saw a form. She looked like a goddess, all white and glorious. She was dressed in a mostly white outfit...Squall could swear it was glowing for a minute...and it was spotted with red here and there. She appeared to be somewhat in pain, though, and Squall wondered if she was dying, just like he was...Then, to his ultimate surprise, the T-Rexaur doubled over. And it was dying quickly.

Just like he was.

-- ** --

_//pain//ouch//T-Rexaur//big//goddess?//not sure//more pain//blood//friends//Rinoa//what?//stop//_

Squall's thoughts ran together, and it was beginning to confuse him. In an effort to stop the headache he knew he would get from it, he opened his eyes. Light flooded into his lids, and he got a headache from that anyway. The image of Dr. Kadowaki leaned over him. She put a tiny flashlight into his eyes.

"How are you feeling?"

Squall sat up. He wondered how he should answer that.

_I'm sore everywhere._

_I feel dead._

_My chest feels like it's been crushed._

"I'm fine," he voiced. "I'm not dead?"

"No, no you're not," the doctor replied, "but you could be. You SeeDs are too reckless. If Seifer had not have been there to save you, you might be in the next world."

"Seifer saved me?" Squall asked, his thoughts turning gloomy.

"Yes, Seifer saved you. He used his very last Mega-Pheonix to bring you and those other three girls back to health. If he would've waited a second longer, well...I think you should thank him."

"Whatever." Squall made an effort to lift himself off the bed, but pain exploded in his stomach and he sat back, taking sharp breaths. He groaned.

"Uh uh," Dr. Kadowaki clucked. "You're not moving until you're completely healed. And I mean it. You could injure something important. That T-Rexaur really did a number on you."

Squall closed his eyes. This would be great. _As if life isn't boring enough already._

-- ** --

During the three days he spent so far in the infirmary, Squall realized he was in a lot more pain than he cared to admit. Everytime he tried to escape from Dr. Kadowaki's prison, terrible pain from his midsection stopped him. Every now and then, he looked at the wound and it _was_ a big wound. He was almost proud he lived through it.

He was thinking again. His thoughts were running together, and another headache was coming on when he heard feet shuffle into the infirmary.

"Where you think he is?" one voice asked.

"I don't know. They just told me we'd find him here," admitted a second voice.

"Where's the doctor? She would know...?" asked a third voice.

They were all girls, and Squall wondered who they could be. Surely they weren't looking for _him_. Suddenly, a girl's head peeped in through the curtain. She had long, reddish-black hair and startling, dark brown eyes. She entered his curtained off area.

"Hi," she greeted. "Mina, Ami, he's over here," she said, sticking her head out of the curtains. Two girls entered. They stared at him for a moment. Squall tilted his head.

"Oh- oh, uh, hi!" the same, black haired girl said. "I'm Rei Hino. This is..." she gestured for the other two to state their names.

The blue haired girl stepped forward, and she extended her hand. "I'm Ami Mizuno." He lifted his hand and gave her small one a small shake.

The blonde waved. She gave him a smile and said, "My name is Minako Aino...you..."

"Saved us," Rei finished. She tucked her hands into her back pockets. "We just wanted to, you know, thank you."

Squall said, "So you were the three in the clearing."

"Yeah, the big dinosaur attacked us. We didn't know what to do," Ami said. "Thank you, so much."

Squall offered a small smile. "You're all welcome...Did any of you see her?"

Ami arched an eyebrow. "...who?"

"That...that girl. I was going unconscious, and I saw a girl. I thought...I thought she might be hallucination, but if you saw her, too..." His voice trailed. He saw a look. It went from Ami, to Minako, to Rei, and then back to Ami. They were uncomfortable about something he had said. _They did see her._

"No, we didn't see anyone," Rei lied. "You must've been hallucinating after all. That dino really tore you up."

Squall nodded. _They're lying. I know it. But why?_

The white curtain was pushed aside, and Dr. Kadowaki was behind it.

"Ahem. If you're all through, he needs his rest. It's past his bed time," Dr. Kadowaki said cutely. She walked to Squall, and she poked him in several places. "Well, you're doing a lot better. I'll give you some more medicine tomorrow, and you should be out in two days or so. Now, ladies, will you please excuse Mr. Leonhart?"

Minako giggled. Ami smiled and replied, "Of course. Goodbye....I'm sorry, no one ever told us your name."

"Squall."

"Goodbye, Squall," Ami said. She waved, as did the other three girls. They left, and Dr. Kadowaki poked him in several more places, making all his pains worse than before.

-- ** --

Cid gave each of the three girls sitting before him a calculating look. They stood in front of him. One looked around the room in curiosity. She played with her blonde hair, and every now and then, she would look at Cid and then turn her gaze quickly away from him. The other girl, Rei, looked a bit uncomfortable, but for the most part uncaring. The third, Ami, sat looking at him, giving him polite attention.

"You say that...you have no idea where you are from," Cid said.

Ami gave him a sheepish grin. Minako shrugged. Rei nodded.

"You don't know how you ended up in the forest."

Same reaction from all.

"You have no recollection of the past at all."

Again, the same reaction.

After a moment or two of careful thinking, Cid declared, "All right then. It's not...our thing to throw out lost souls. In fact, it's pretty much what we do to save them. A number of our students come from orphanages and the like. So we'll keep you here-"

"Thank you, sir," Ami exclaimed. She looked so very relieved.

"But..." Cid continued, "we cannot afford to simply let you stay here. If you stay here, you must attend classes- become normal students. You'll take the SeeD prerequisite and the exam; if you pass, you'll become a SeeD and go on missions for Balamb Garden and in this way you'll be able to repay us."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Minako said. "We'll have to...go to school and all that? Learn? Do homework?"

Ami gave Minako a very pointed look.

"Yes. That's right. Or else we'll give you transportation to Balamb, and you're on your own from there."

"We accept your offer," Ami said.

Rei argued, "But Ami-"

"We _accept_, and we are very _thankful_. Isn't that right, Rei? Minako?"

Cid laughed. "Now, should you feel at any time you can make on your own, you're free to leave Garden. About dorms- two people to a dorm. Who will be the odd one?"

Rei, Minako and Ami looked at each other.

Ami sighed, "I will, sir."

"Ok then," Cid said, "since all of our dorms are full. You'll get your own- for now. As soon as we get another female student, she'll move in with you. How's that?"

"That' just fine, sir."

Cid smiled. They didn't look like trouble makers. Good. He handed them schedules and dorm codes, and they left.

Once out of the office, Rei said, "Lucky Ami- your own dorm."

"Hardly. The next freakazoid that enters this school- I'm stuck with her! You at least have someone you know!"

Minako exclaimed, "Let's go check them out- our dorms! I want to see them."

"They look exactly like the ones we've been staying in, Minako," Rei said. She looked at the yellow sheet of paper Cid had given her. "Look! It's the exact same dorm! #110A. So we won't get lost. What a nice man Cid is."

"I have #112A. I'm right across from you guys, that's good," Ami sighed. "You know, I don't think it will be so bad here."

"I still want to go home." Minako pouted.

"We all do," Rei said, "but until we find out how we got here, there's no telling how we can get back."

"We'll have to patient."

Minako sighed, "None of you have had any luck with the communicators?"

Ami and Rei shook their heads. "I get fuzzies every now and then," Rei said, "but that's it."

"There's no use sulking over it. We have to pretend like we'll never get out of this place- we have to survive," Ami concluded grimly.

-- ** --

"...we have to pretend like we'll never get out of this place- we have to survive."

Squall was going to Cid's office, just out of the infirmary. The elevator stopped on the 3rd floor.

And the doors did not open.

He pounded on the Door Open button several times, but to no avail. He cursed the old elevator. He would remind Cid the school needed a new one.

That's when he heard them begin to talk. He rolled his eyes at some of their chatter- and then they began to talk about other things. Squall deduced that they were from somewhere else, and they were trying to get back home. All three of them did have somewhat peculiar accents. They didn't say anymore when the doors slid open. The three girls stepped in. They waved to Squall, giving him smiles. He nodded curtly, and he exited the elevator.

-- ** --

The girls settled into their dorms. Garden fortunately provided them with several sets of uniforms. They didn't have any clothes except for what they were dressed in. Ami turned the spare room next to hers into a study section for herself. One pro about having her own room was that she was away from the noise Minako and Rei made. She remembered when they...

She remembered. And she was almost driven to tears. It had been more than a week since they had ended up in this place. They told everyone they had no recollection of the past. But, oh, they did. They remembered it all. Ami thought it would be better if they didn't remember, didn't have a past. She ran her hands over the cloth of the uniform she was hanging up. She was now a student in Balamb Garden.

Ami looked to her desk. Just like a little hotel, there was an information pamphlet inside one each desk. She leafed through it, and she found a map of the garden. It was a big place, but it seemed easy enough to navigate. The library piqued her interest. She decided to visit it. She knocked on Minako's and Rei's door.

Rei answered.

"Ami," Rei spat.

"Rei," Ami said, a mean note in her voice.

The stared at each other for a long time.

Then they burst out laughing.

When Ami calmed herself, she said, "I'm going to go visit the library. Wanna come?"

"Pshh...No thanks. Minako and I are going to the cafeteria. I'm a big fan of their lasagna, and Mina-chan here loves the pizza."

"That's funny. I rather like their hot-dogs." Ami shrugged. She waved and walked down the dorm hall to the main hall circling Balamb Garden. She looked from side to side, unsure of which way to go.

"Hey," a voice said. Ami turned to look at the speaker. A very built blonde boy about her own age stood looking at her with sparkling blue eyes. Dressed in a loose, black and red button up shirt and baggy shorts, he bounced on the balls of his feet. Ami smiled at him, looking expectant. "Oh, my name's Zell Dincht. I was with Squall and Seifer that day in the forest."

"That's right. I remember you. You helped carry him away...I'm Ami Mizuno," she introduced herself. Ami offered a handshake. Zell put his gloved hand in hers and shook it firmly. 

"You looked kinda lost...Can I help you?" Zell offered.

Ami looked relieved. She sighed, "Yes! Where's the library? This place is bigger than it looks on that map..."

"The library? I was just going there. It's right over there," he said. Zell pointed in the direction. "I'll walk you down there. I've got to meet someone."

She gratefully accepted his help, and Ami walked with him down the hall. After a moment or two, the silence became unbearable awkward, and Ami began to make small talk.

"So...who are you meeting at the library?" Ami asked.

Zell rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Ami had seen _that_ look before. "Oh, a girlfriend?"

"Nah, she's not my girlfriend...not _yet_ anyway."

"Not yet, huh?" Ami laughed.

"Hey, what's with the laugh? One day, she'll realize that she wants me..."

Ami sighed, "Guys are the same everywhere."

"Huh?"

"Nevermind."

"Hmm....why are _you_ going to the library?" Zell asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice. She laughed at this, too.

"Don't worry. I'm not planning on blowing up Garden or anything. I just want some reading material," Ami replied.

Zell laughed, "That's good. Garden's had it's share of disasters."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. I'm surprised you don't know. The Sorceress War?"

Ami gave him an apologetic look.

"Hyne, do you live under a rock?" Zell exclaimed. The rest of the way to library, Zell filled her in on the whole Ultimecia bit. Of course, he...er...embellished a bit when a came to his _oh-so-heroic_ participation.

"Wow...so you defeated the sorceress all on your own?" Ami asked, amazed.

Zell smiled smugly. "Oh, totally. Squall and Rin' were there to help, but you know, it was all me."

"This girl, Rin', you've talked about her a lot. Have I met her? She sounds rather nice..."

Zell replied nervously, "Er...she was."

"Was?" Ami asked. She was confused...oh...she got it now... "Oh, she died?"

"Yeah...long story."

"I see...How did it happen?"

He shook his head. "Like I said, it's a long story. Well, here we are. The library. Got someone to impress- c'ya!" He bounded off energetically to the counter. A pigtailed girl greeted him warmly. Ami watched for a few minutes. The pigtailed girl kept on blushing and blushing. _Wow. Must be a real charmer_. She began to browse the books. Though she had planned on getting something fictional, she came across many books having to do with the use of magic. Apparently, using magic was a common thing around here. Ami picked a book titled _The Mechanics of Ice Magic_, and she began to read.

Not twenty minutes later, Zell took a seat next to her.

"The Mechanics of Ice Magic? That's _not_ reading material."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a friggin' textbook! I tried to read that...Then I tried to read the cliffnotes...man...that books sucks," Zell proclaimed.

With a slight note of annoyance, Ami said, "What happened to your pigtailed friend?"

"Oh, you mean Abby? Her shift is over."

"I see. Well, I'll have you know, that this book is very interesting. I've never used magic before," Ami admitted sheepishly.

Zell exclaimed, "You _haven't_?! Man, you have no idea what you're missing. A lot of people take it for granted...but man, when you're under Silence, you sure wish you could cast _anything_ at all."

"Under...silence...?" Ami asked blankly.

"Silence. You know. The spell?"

Ami smiled. "Sorry."

"It's a spell. If someone casts it on you, you can't say any magical words. You know, can't cast spells and stuff. It really sucks."

"Zell...could you help me out? I don't know _anything_ about magic- nothing at all. Help me?" Ami requested. She never thought in her life that she would need a tutor. Here she was asking for one from a hyper, crush-consumed boy.

"I'm...not really the person. You should ask Quistis, I mean, Instructor Trepe. She's real-" Zell stopped when he saw Ami's put out look. "Um...if you don't know _anything_ about magic, then I guess I could...start you up. But it gets complicated, so you'll have to ask someone else for help."

Ami smiled. "Thank you. Thank so much."

"Ok then. Let's start with junctioning. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it! You just gotta..."

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
| **** End of Chapter 2 ****|  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**


	4. Virus

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
****All You Wanted  
****(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**

(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
( _I didn't know that, _)  
( _It was so cold and, _)  
( _You needed someone to show you the way.. _)  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)

Dear Miz, Nagumi no Auraleigh and Michelle/Myst-Lady--  
Thank you so much for pointing out things I need to clear up. I just reread everything, and there are a few 'iffy' parts. I'm fixing those up- thank you so much for reviewing!

_-- *_Chapter 3: Virus* --

_"There wasn't a lot going on for me. I made friends- that was it. It was boring. Until 'it' happened."_

_"What was 'it'?"_

_"When Rei got sick. I think...I think that was the turning point."_

-- ** --

Rei was tapping her pencil in class. Instructor Trepe was teaching a lesson on junctioning GFs, something she still didn't fully understand. She was sort of spacing out...she heard Quistis' voice, but it went in one ear and out the other. Her surroundings seemed faded and dull. At any moment, she expected to see Usagi bounding into class, late and dissheveled, just like she did back home.

Home.

It was gone now. More than a week had passed since they had started classes regularly at Balamb. Rei was neither catching on or fitting in. Minako had some ease making new friends, and Ami caught on quickly with the whole magic thing- learning was so easy for her. Rei was here, stuck in the middle. Junctioning...GFs...spells...Pheonix Downs- or was it Pheonix Ups? Why was it called a Pheonix Up (or Down) in the first place? And how on...Gaea?...did they expect her to memorize the thick bestiary she was provided with when she started classes? She let out a deep sigh. Rei looked down to her study panel, and she tapped a few keys on it.

A box popped up- the main menu she had seen many times before. Next to a box marked 'Garden Festival Committee' was a little picture that said 'New!'. Checking to make sure Instructor Trepe wasn't looking, Rei accessed that webpage. A colorful site popped up, showing details on a festival. Apparently, it took place once a year. The Chairman of the Garden Festival Committee, Selphie Tilmitt, was anxiously looking for new members to help her organize the thing. The sound of Instructor Trepe's boots coming down the aisle caused Rei to come out of her haze. She clicked away the box and took her pencil up in her hand. She looked down at the impossible test.

"Mmm...Rei," Quistis sighed. She looked over the work Rei had completed- not much any standards- and clucked. "You're having a hard time. Headmaster Cid informed me of your 'memory' problem. I can see that you've forgotten a lot more than I first guessed. I think you might need a tutor."

Rei nodded. "I...think so, too. This magic stuff is...tough, to say the least."

Quistis smiled sympathetically. "Mmhmm..." She sat down in the seat next to Rei. Suddenly, Rei felt like a kid in kindergarden again. She smiled at the memory of herself, barely two feet tall and snot-nosed. "What do you understand? What's coming easily for you?"

Rei scratched her head and gave Quistis a sheepish grin. "Umm...to be honest, nothing. It's all so confusing. These photos of the spells in action are so hazy, I can't tell them apart. And status effects- they're all the same in my head."

"Do you think you'd be able to get a better handle if you experienced them first hand?" Quistis asked.

The younger girl answered, "Experience them? Firsthand?"

"I'll cast attacks spells on monsters- not you. Status attacks...you can't really see them. It's best if you experience those, but they aren't painful. You'll also be able to feel the difference between status changes, so you'll know how to treat it. How's that?"

Rei nodded, with a small degree of uncertainty. Instuctor had proved herself to be a nice enough person and a great teacher, so Rei resolved in trusting her.

"What time is your study period?"

"9:30-10:30am, ma'am," Rei answered.

"Oooh, early. Ok, meet me at the Training Center during your study period. I'll go ahead and show you some of the basics. Hopefully we'll be able to get you caught up with the rest of the class."

"Hopefully," Rei repeated. Quistis smiled and gave her an encouraging pat on the back.

-- ** --

Rei rubbed her eyes groggily. She usually slept during her study period; it was optional, after all. Now she waited outside the Training Center for Instructor Trepe, who was supposed to have been there 20 minutes earlier. Rei looked at her watch and then at the menacing steel doors. She had seen the Training Center and heard the terrible sounds the creatures in it made, but Rei had never been in it, deciding it wasn't safe. Every now and then a strangled creature cry would echo through the doors. Rei shivered. At the end of the long hall, she spotted a figure walking toward her. A very bulky figure, decked in a white trench coat, blue vest and baggy black jeans. Not Instructor Trepe.

Ok...where is she? Waiting...waiting...

"You Rei?" asked the stranger.

"Who are you?" Rei asked.

The blonde rolled his deep green eyes. "I'm Seifer. Quis- Instructor Trepe sent me here to help you out."

"Oh." Rei tried to hide her dissappointment and fear. She didn't even know this guy. He could take her into that horrible place, rape and kill her. Or he could cast some terrible spell that turned her into a frog or something. She shuddered visibly.

"What? I'm not going kill you." Then he smirked and added, "As long as you're on my good side, anyway."

Rei ignored that. She said, "So.....Where do we start?"

"Exactly how much help do you need?" Seifer asked.

Rei replied, "All I can get. I know absolutely nothing about using magic or fighting monsters or anything..."

"This is great. She said you needed help, not a mommy." Rei glared at him.

Seifer gestured for her to follow him, and together they walked through the heavy metal doors. It was a dark place, lights flickering everywhere. Plants were overturned, and many things moved and made noises. She looked around and then at Seifer. That's when she noticed the shiny point just below the hem of his trench. He's got a sword?

"You have a sword?" Rei voiced.

"Huh?" Rei pointed to the sharp point.

"Oh, this." Seifer pulled his gunblade away from his belt. He held it up for her to see. "My gunblade, Hyperion." He smiled, and he rubbed a gloved hand over its blade. "It's killed a lot of monsters. Maybe you'll get to see it in action."

Rei snorted, "Oh joy." He ignored that and began searching the place for some kind of creature.

When he spotted one, he said, "Look, there. That's a Grat. Plant monster. It attacks with an attack called Gastric Juice, which has the potential to poison you, plus damage. It also carries Silence and Sleep. It's basic attack, though, is just whopping you with it's tentacles. Did you get all that?"

"Ok. Grat. Plant monster. Carries Silence and Sleep, could poison me with Gastric Juice. Likes to bang on people with tentacles," Rei repeated, quite satisfied with herself.

"Not so hopeless as I thought...Watch me take care of it," Seifer said, an arrogant smile on his lips. He was clearly going to impress. Rei watched him attract the Grat's attention. It turned on Seifer, and Rei wondered how on Earth he would beat such a hideous monster.

Seifer took Hyperion in his hands and swung it a few times in the air. Then, he lunged at the Grat, slashing the blade dramatically. At the moment the blade touched the Grat, and gunshot sounded. Wow, what a nifty little weapon, Rei thought. She watched the Grat wave one if its tentacles and get Seifer on the head. He rubbed the spot the Grat hit with an annoyed expression.

He called to Rei, "I'm going to cast Fira on it. Watch." Rei obeyed, and she watched in fascination as Seifer cast the Fira spell on the Grat. An ember rose up- it seemed to come from within the animal- and it burned it to a crisp. The Grat keeled over. And died. Rei was impressed, and she told him so. He smiled smugly.

"Nah, that was too easy. Grats are nothing. Look. Another one wants its ass kicked. Wanna try casting a spell on it?" Seifer asked.

Rei shook her head. "No, no, no. I don't even know how. I'm still trying to tell the difference between Silence and Esuna," Rei replied.

"Whatever. Stay back," Seifer advised, "this one's a big one." Rei took a step or two back.

Once again, Seifer used his gunblade to strike at the Grat. With a fury, the Grat roared. Strange bubbles of juice floated up from its main body and squirted onto Seifer. He took a deep breath, and his complexion took a sickly green color. He looked at her, a somewhat pained expression on his face.

"That...was Gastric Juice," Seifer groaned. His speech was labored. "It poisoned me. To cure...myself, I'll use...Esuna."

Rei nodded, somewhat concerned for his health. She watched him as he prepped himself for another spell, and then he cast Esuna. It was pretty to look at, and Seifer's complexion returned to normal, as well as his breathing. She clapped. Suddenly, drops of heavy, thick liquid splashed onto Rei's head. She felt dizzy, and her vision was blurred. She saw Seifer running to her, but the Grat attacked with a tentacle from behind, and he tumbled forward. He turned around and cast something on it-

Fira. He just cast Fira on that Grat. Good for me. I'm learning...something...

She felt like she was running a 10K marathon and losing. Rei wanted to curl up and sleep, to get away from this feeling like her cells were throwing up. She felt like throwing up. Her legs wobbled like jelly, and her stomach turned over. Every two seconds, stabs of sick pain registered in her brain. She felt like she was drunk and suddenly very sleepy.

"Esuna," a voice whispered. What a nice...deep..voice. Rei willed her eyes open. She was losing her balance, and she collapsed into someone's arms. She looked up into the most dazzling green eyes she could ever recall seeing. What nice eyes. What nice hair. What a nice smile...mm...sleepy...sleep time...sleepy...what a nice...sleep...Then suddenly...

Ah.

Relief.

A warm tingling sensation consumed Rei. It spread to her limbs and gave Rei the urge to feel, to be felt. She opened her eyes and lights nearly blinded her. They ran together and made strange patterns. She began to laugh. Everything was just so colorful and vibrant. Look at the red lights. It feels so soft. It doesn't smell too great though. I wonder what it tastes like? A great...big...cherry. Now look at this guy, with green eyes. Green, green, nice color green. I bet it tastes like a grape! Wait, wait...I can't taste colors...What the heck is WRONG with me?

-- ** --

Seifer held the falling girl in his arms. She looked so helpless at the moment, all sleepy and weak. He wondered if he could recast Sleep on her for just a minute, to keep her in her drowsy state for a minute longer. She looked happy, with a smile on her face. When Rei regained her balance, she stumbled forward onto Seifer. She began to laugh- a true and genuine laugh that made her look absolutely stunning to Seifer. Rei's hand snaked up the wall of his chest and around his neck. Rei's other hand was on his hip on the inside of his trench. There was a devilish grin on her face. He put his hand over hers and gently pried it off his body. He took a step or two back but still held on to Rei to keep her standing. She blinked a few times, and that cloudy look disappeared from her face.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed. "What was that?!"

Seifer let go of her and ran a hand through his hair. He was sweating a little.

"A Grat got you with Gastric Juice," he explained, "and another came up from behind you and cast sleep on you."

"No, after that. Geez, I felt like I was on E."

Seifer chuckled. That explains the hands. He grinned. And that's when he decided he would have a little 'fun' with Rei.

-- ** --

"Ecstacy?" Seifer said. He chuckled again, and he moved towards her with a sexy, mischevious grin on his lips. Rei noticed the glint in his eye, and it made her a little nervous. He was up to something, and she knew it. Seifer asked, "Did you...hallucinate?"

Rei shook her head. "No. But the lights were making strange patterns. I- I thought I could smell the colors. I was wondering how your...your green eyes tasted." Rei lowered her gaze away from his eyes to his neck, an embarassed smile crossing her face. She blushed just a little. He came closer to her- so close that she could feel warmth emitting form his chest. It was thoroughly unnerving. She did not move though, something stopped her, kept her frozen in place.

"You know," Seifer said lowly, "I heard that ecstacy makes a person..." He places his hands on the back of Rei's forearms and gently pulled her closer to him. He was warm, and Rei wanted to back away. But she didn't. "...want to be...touched."

Rei stammered, "T-touched? Well, I d-didn't- I certainly d-don't-"

Seifer shook his head just a tad, then he leaned over her with that famous smirk of his on his face. His lips fell softly down on hers in a delightful little kiss. Rei was so startled that she almost let his tongue pass through her lips.

But she didn't, and she pushed his chest away with her right hand. She gave him an incredulous, expectant look.

"What?" he asked, grinning like an idiot.

Rei exclaimed, "What? What? What was that?!"

"A...kiss...?"

"Well- well, yeah. It was a kiss, but I'm not a tramp," Rei declared, "and you shouldn't do that! I don't even like you."

Seifer faked heartbreak. "Oh, Rei, you don't like me?" He laughed. "But you think I've got a nice...deep...voice. And nice eyes, and nice hair, and a nice smile. Gosh, I'm just an all around nice guy."

"Wh-what? D-did I say that?" Rei asked. Seifer nodded, smirking. "Well, I was under the influence of Poison and Sleep. And that Esuna spell makes me feel..." Suddenly, Rei took on a drowsy look, and she fell to the ground, unconscious.

-- ** --

Ami was in the library doing homework. Instructor Hui had assigned an extra credit project, and Ami thought it might help bring up her over all average. She was sitting in front of a few books. Instructor Hui taught Battle Tactics. Sure, Ami was great as Sailor Mercury, but using GFs and spells wasn't as easy for her as it should've been. Battle Tactics was a particularly tough subject for her. He had been pressing for her to choose her weapon, but she just couldn't get the hang of one. It was frustrating, and these formations and strategies were confusing her, too. 

She closed the thick book and put her face into her hands. She let out a deep, sad, sigh.

"Hey," a familiar voice said.

Ami looked up and greeted, "Hi Zell!"

"What's goin' on, Ami?"

"Not much. Trying to do Hui's extra credit project. It's tougher than I thought it would be."

"You're kidding me? It's pretty easy. You just have to have an understanding of what it's like to be in battle. Being a SeeD n' all, I get a lot of practice. Need help?"

"Always," Ami accepted his offer. "I do have an under- just help."

"Ok, #4...'If attacked from behind, you should-"

"Turn around and fight it," Ami answered frustratedly. "Unfortunately, that's not one of the answers."

"When you're turned around, it's easier to run. You've got the attention of the animal, your back is to it- fuck fighting, haul ass out of there! This way, you can avoid getting hit if you're lucky," Zell explained.

Ami laughed. "Ever the noble SeeD, haha. Thank you, Zell. Thank you a lot."

-- ** --

Minako was sitting at lunch alone. Rei was no where to be found, and Ami was hidden behind stacks of books more serious than the guy sitting next to her. Minako had sat next to him because he was cute, quiet and mysterious. And he had also saved her life. She thought she might try to converse with him, but it didn't quite work out. It seemed his vocabulary consisted of only 'Yes,' 'No,' and 'Whatever'.

A friend she had made sat down in front of her. Her name was Megan.

"Hey Minako," Megan greeted, setting her tray down. She opened up a bag of chips and started munching. She offered some to Minako, who happily accepted.

The chubby brunette turned to Squall, "Hello, quiet boy."

He ignored Megan's greeting and kept eating, throwing her an icy glare.

Megan informed, "He doesn't say much. He's the Commander of Garden."

"Commander?" Minako repeated, quiet impressed. "So Commander, what's it like?"

"What's what like?" Squall asked, looking at Minako. There was a slight hint of annoyance on his face.

"You know, being Commander."

Squall shrugged. "Boring." 

"You're very introverted, did you know that?"

"Whatever."

"Hey, ain't interruptin' anything, am I?" said a voice. Minako turned around and saw Seifer Almasy. She did not like him. Students called him a traitor, but no one ever told her why. At any rate, he was arrogant and pompous as hell. Minako smiled, despite her feelings toward him.

"I'm trying to teach Squally-boy a new word. INTROVERT. I-N-T-R-O-V-"

"You're Minako, right?" Seifer asked.

Minako nodded, somewhat peeved that he had so rudely interrupted her. Seifer continued, "Something's wrong with Rei. She's in the Infirmary."

-- ** --

Zell elbowed Ami.

Ami elbowed Zell back.

And so began the cutest flirting game you will ever see. Ami giggled, and she elbowed Zell again. He laughed a little and elbowed her, accidentally knocking over a book. Ami bent over and picked it up. She elbowed Zell again. Zell thought, This is going no where...I wonder if she's ticklish..? He put his hand down on his chair beside him. Then, when he was sure she wasn't looking, he squeezed that area just above Ami's knee. She squealed loudly and nearly fell off of her chair.

"Ah! Don't do that!" she laughed. "I'm extremely ticklish."

"I noticed. Hehe," he chuckled devilishly. There was an unfamiliar look in his eye, and it made Ami laugh harder.

Suddenly, Minako burst into the library, screaming, "AMI! AMI-SAN!"

Ami stood up. "Mina, what's wrong?"

"It's Rei, there's something wrong with her. Come with me," Minako said.

-- ** --

Rei was sitting on an Infirmary bed. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was very shallow. She had greenish looking splotches all over her skin. Dr. Kadowaki was leaning over her, checking her pulse every now and then and recording it. Ami, Minako and Seifer were sitting in the Infirmary chairs, looking at Rei.

"So tell me again what happened, Seifer," Dr. Kadowaki ordered. Seifer nodded his head.

"Uh...she was Poisoned by Gastric Juice and a Grat cast Sleep on her. I cured her with Esuna. She seemed okay. She did tell me that it felt like she was on ecstacy though."

"Ecstacy? That's very, very strange. Esuna doesn't...are you sure?"

"Yeah. I asked her...what it was like, and she said the lights were making strange patterns- and she thought she could taste the colors. She seemed like she would be okay, and then she just fell. I ran to her, and she was unconscious. While I was carrying her over here, she was mumbling some names."

"Names?" Dr. Kadowaki asked. "What names?"

"I recognized Minako's and Ami's names- that's why I went to go get you two. She said two others...I could quite make 'em out though. Ula-chan-"

"Usa-chan," Ami interjected. "An old friend of ours. Did the other name sound like Makoto, or Mako-chan?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! She kept saying 'I miss you Mako.' They must've been close," Seifer said.

Minako replied, "We all were." There was a note of sadness in her voice. 

Dr. Kadowaki recorded some more things on her clipboard. She said finally, "Obviously, Rei has had some sort of allergic reaction to either Sleep, Gastric Juice or Esuna. I think either the Sleep or Gastric Juice caused the reaction. It was so strong, however, that Esuna couldn't stop it- it held it off for a short while, but it didn't quite work out. Has Rei ever had any problems with her immune system?"

Ami shook her head no. "I don't recall her ever having a serious medical problem like that."

-- ** --

Seifer looked at Minako and Ami hard. They were lying. Lying, lying, lying. They had supposedly lost their memories. Was it a mood thing? Maybe it was all in their heads, because they just clearly remembered two people from their pasts: Makoto and Usa-chan, whoever they were. Now they were testifying that Rei had never had medical problems? Seifer looked at Rei. She was a sickly, light greenish color. She looked thinner than she really was. Seifer cursed himself. He should've been more careful. He knew she was inexperienced- he was trying to show off, that's what he was doing. The moment she told him she was impressed, he felt like a king. Like a knight.

It's tough living in the shadow of someone else. Once you see the light, it's tough to go back. He had learned that the hard way.

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
| **** End of Chapter 3 ****|  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**


	5. Character Ability

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
****All You Wanted  
****(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**

(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
( _So I took your hand and, _)  
( _We figured out that, _)  
( _When the tide comes I'll take you away.. _)  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)

To Makoto Almasy Don't worry, Makoto and Usagi will appear in this fic, but much later.

_-- *_Chapter 4: Character Ability* --

_"I never felt like I fit in. It was always the three of us and no one else."_

_"When did you start to feel at home?"_

_"Well...there were a few moments that made me feel accepted. I owe them all to Selphie."_

-- ** --

Ami and Minako anxiously waited outside the Infirmary for Rei. Minako waved to a few passerbyes, and Ami toyed with the hem of her uniform shirt. She felt so awkward all of a sudden- she didn't know why. Rei emerged in her uniform, a smile on her face. She ran to the two girls and embraced both of them in a big hug. For the three days Rei had been in the Infirmary, Ami and Minako had been with her every minute they could be. After Rei woke up, she was thankful, very thankful for the company. Every now and then, Seifer visited. Rei felt so bad for him- he clearly thought the incident was his fault.

"You look so much better," Minako commented, taking Rei's image in. "The splotches are gone- did Dr. Kadowaki ever tell you what they were?"

Rei shook her head. She replied, "Dr. K doesn't know exactly what they were, but she guessed they might be some...form of hives? She thinks I had an allergic reaction to the Poison. She ran a few tests on me and watched me 24/7. I know what it's like to be goldfish now!"

Ami laughed, "Well- you looked like a fish." Rei playfully punched Ami on the shoulder.

"So fill me in," Rei said, "on what's been happening. Have I missed anything?"

"Nothing," Minako sighed, "nothing at all! This place is boring. And there's not a movie theatre or theme park for miles. I wonder if they even have one-"

"Hi!" said someone they had not met before. She was a wiry brunette with a flipped out hairstyle, dressed in a loose fitting yellow jumper. "My name is Selphie Tilmitt!"

Rei recognized the name. She said, "Oh- you're the Chairman of the Garden Festival Committee, right?"

Selphie nodded her head. "Yes! As a matter of fact, I was wondering if you'd like to join the committee? We're a bit low on members. I would really appreciate the help."

Rei shrugged and gave questioning looks to her two friends. Minako shrugged also, and Ami said, "Well, it sounds like fun. I've heard about the Garden Festival...when's the next one scheduled?"

"In just a few months. The committee hasn't voted on a date yet, but we're going to today at the GFC meeting. So would you join? Pretty please?" Selphie begged. Her hands were clasped together.

Minako answered, "Why not? It sounds cool. What do you say?"

Rei nodded and Ami said, "Ok. What time is the meeting and where?"

"It's at 6:00pm in the Library! I'm so excited! I have to go update the member list!" Selphie chirped. She waved goodbye excitedly and sped off somewhere. Once she was out of sight, Minako laugh out loud.

"I think it's time for my next class," Ami commented, looking down at her watch. "I better run. We're going on some training field trip today, and I wouldn't want to miss the bus."

"Oh! Hey! Me too!" Minako exclaimed. "I forgot to tell you Rei, everyone in Mr. Hui's third period is supposed to go. That means you."

"I need to go get my stuff- do you think this field trip is going to be tough for us, being that we haven't selected a weapon yet?" asked Rei.

Ami shrugged. "I hope not. I'm not a second closer to deciding."

"You think they'd let me use a bow and arrow? I'm pretty good with one," Rei said.

Minako nodded. "I'm pretty sure they'll let you use whatever. I want to use a gunblade! I've seen Squall's and Seifer's- wow! Those things work."

Rei agreed, "They are nifty, aren't they? Seifer's is pretty kick-ass, if you ask me. Those Grats didn't stand a chance."

Minako snorted, "Obviously, they did. Look at what happened to you! That guy Seifer is bad news."

"Tell me about it..." Rei sighed, looking to the ground. 

-- ** --

Instructor Hui took his class to the forest near Balamb. He wanted something a little more challenging for his class than Grats, so the Training Center wasn't ideal. The forest had a few beefy creatures the kids could overtake, so naturally that was the best place to teach the lesson. He also brought his three favorite students along with him, to use as examples and what not. Squall Leonhart, Zell Dincht and Seifer Almasy. 

"I'm very disappointed with the results from the extra credit project. First of all, less than half the class did it. That's ok, it was only extra credit, but some of you dearly needed those extra points. Second of all, the grades were low. I would expect more from you guys. You're not junior classmen," Hui scolded. "Zell, when you are attacked from behind, what is the best thing to do?"

Zell smiled, stopped his shadowboxing and threw a knowing look to Ami. "You should run, sir."

"Exactly. I was extremely peeved to see someone mark the answer 'Try to negotiate'. Seifer, when under Silence, should you reverse the spell or attack with your weapon and why?"

Seifer answered, "You should cast Esuna or use an item to get rid of the status change. You might be able to get one hit off the other guy, but all he has to do is cast Blind, and you're done for. Unless you're extremely powerful like-"

"These are just two of the questions that you got wrong. So today, we're going to split up into groups of four and go fight. Put what you've learned into play. Hopefully, you'll learn something new. All right, get into groups and go!" Hui shouted.

Ami, Minako and Rei bunched together and began looking for another person to be in their group.

"This isn't cool," Minako panted. "Let's face it! We don't have any GFs junctioned, therefore magic is out. None of us have weapons. What if we're attacked?"

Rei pointed out, "We can transform. We'll just have to be sure that...no one sees us. We just won't have a fourth partner."

-- ** --

Sailor Mars, Mercury and Venus were walking through the woods. They had been aimlessly walking around for a while. Every now and then, they saw a student or two, but no one really noticed them. The trio desperately avoided creatures at any cost. They had run from every battle so far. The animals, for the most part, looked harmless, but Mars didn't want to take any chances. The days in the Infirmary, constantly scratching herself everywhere, were hell and she did not want to go back.

Tremors.

The earth beneath them shook a little, and they steadied themselves.

"Uh oh. There's another one?!" Sailor Mars exclaimed. That day they were attacked by the T-Rexaur, they had felt the tremors in the earth before they saw it. "There's another one! Another dinosaur!"

Sailor Mercury flipped on her visor. She searched everywhere, and suddenly she froze. "It's over there. You guys, there are kids over there! We have to help them!"

Venus and Mars were already running to the place Sailor Mercury was looking at when she flipped off her visor. She followed after them. Thank God they had transformed ahead of time. When the three arrived at the site, a huge dinosaur, just as they had thought, was closing in on a group of four kids. Mercury flipped her visor back on.

"It's got a weakness to water. It's really strong, you guys. We'll need to hit it with everything we've got!" she shouted.

Sailor Mars did not wait. She closed her eyes and concentrated a minute or two before screaming, "Burning Mandala!" A spiral of fire appeared around her. She directed it at the dinosaur. The big creature roared with fury and spun around to face the three girls. It lunged at Mars, but she managed to dodge the huge thing's claws. Meanwhile, Sailor Mercury was powering up for her attack.

"Mercury...Aqua...Rhapsody!" she shouted. A tunnel of water charged at the creature. It released another strangled cry. The power of the wave pushed it back a few feet, and the dinosaur was regaining it's bearings when Sailor Venus attacked it. The attack was strong, and it killed the T-Rexaur. It doubled over and fell, nearly crushing the four that the girls had run to save. But it hobbled over and the group of four had time to run before it came crashing down.

Packs of students were forming a circle around the dead T-Rexaur. Mercury stood staring at it for a second, but Sailor Mars tugged on her arm.

"We have to untransform," she said, "before someone starts asking questions." Mercury nodded and followed Mars and Venus away from the dead body.

-- ** --

"They looked like goddesses!" Koaka exclaimed. She was in the group of four that had been attacked by the T-Rexaur. Throughout the day, that group had been asked multiple times to retell the story over and over again. The three senshi had become superheroes around Garden. Just like home though, no one recognized them. "The first one sent a ball of fire! It was huge and roaring, just like a dragon!"

Several people in the crowd oohed and ahhed. Minako, Ami and Rei were sitting at lunch. They supressed the urge to giggle, hearing all the comments about themselves. One of the group had gone so far as to call the three girls beautiful. By the end of the day, they were being called angels sent down from heaven, and insanely exaggerated attacks were created.

-- ** --

At six o'clock, Ami, Rei and Minako shuffled into the library. They went into the back, and a table was set up there. Selphie was sitting there with Squall, who was looking very unhappy. Next to him was Zell, shadowboxing in the corner. He dropped his arms, and then he waved at Ami when he saw her.

"You're on the Garden Festival Committee, too?" he asked.

Ami nodded. "As of today."

"Oh!" Selphie exclaimed, having just noticed them. "Ok, now that everyone's here, we can begin the meeting!"

"This is it?" Minako asked, taking a seat in between Ami and Rei.

Selphie sighed, "Yes. No one wants to join! I had to beat these two into it. Why doesn't anyone want to join? Forget it- let's get going with the meeting. First on the agenda: the date of the next Garden Festival Committee. Any ideas?"

"Hmm...definitely in a few months. We can only do so much so quickly with this many members," Ami reasoned. "How long do you think it will take to get everything together?"

"We have to get a band together, and the stage still needs to be built. That's all there has been in the previous years, and that took about four months to organize," Selphie said. "Heeeey! In August, there's Sorceress' Knight Day!"

"Sorceress'...Knight...Day? What's that?" Rei asked.

"You don't know what SK Day is? Where have you been living all these years?!" Selphie exclaimed. "Sorceress' Knight Day- everyone calls it SK Day- is a sort of romantic holiday. You see, a Sorceress' Knight protects his Sorceress with his life, to show his love for her. SK Day is just a day for couples to celebrate their love for each other. It's such a romantic time! Anyway, I figured that we could hold the Garden Festival on SK Day, and have a lovey-dovey theme for it! With flowers and hearts, and all sorts of happy things like that!"

_Oh. SK Day is equal to Valentine's Day. Who would have thought?_ Ami laughed, "That sounds like a good idea. How far away is SK Day?"

Selphie counted months on her calendar. "It's about four-and-a-half months away. We'll have plenty of time! This is so great! Ok, so the date is set for SK Day! Now, about bands. I have no clue who will perform."

"Since it's on S...K...Day, it should be a band that's got a few love songs to sing," Minako put in. "Who performed last year?"

"Child of Hyne. A rockband. They're way too hardcore for SK Day. And anyway, the lead singer transfered to Galbadia a few weeks after the festival. We'll have to look."

"I can print out some flyers," Ami suggested.

"I'll try to spread the word, too," Rei said. "I'm sure someone in this place has singing talent."

"And as a last resort, we'll get the old gang together and perform something," Selphie sighed.

"No way!" Zell exclaimed. "I'm not touching another instrument. Rinoa never let me live my guitar playing skills down."

"Haha," Selphie interjected suddenly. "Right. Ok Zell, you just won't participate."

"Thank you!" he exclaimed. "I swear...every five minues, Rinoa'd tell me 'Zell, please don't quit your day job.' or 'Zell, what did you do with the money your mother gave you for guitar lessons?' I'm telling you, I'm not-"

Squall stood up. He scratched the back of his ear and ruffled his hair a bit. "I'm going to the bathroom." On his way out, he bumped into Zell. He did not stop, only kept going until he was out of the library.

Zell sat down in a chair, crossing one ankle over his left knee. "Gee, what's his problem all of a sudden?"

Selphie looked at him with an incredulous expression. "Hello? Gaea to Zell! Hello?!" She waved her hands in front of him. "Rinoa, you idiot."

"What about Rin-" Zell started, but he stopped and clasped his hand over his mouth.

"What's...that matter?" Rei asked. Zell stood up and examined his feet nervously.

"I'm sorry. It's just that sometimes I forget she's...you know..." Zell sighed.

Selphie explained, "Rinoa was Squall's girlfriend. He really loved her, which is a lot for Squall. He wasn't much different then than his is now. She...she died."

"Oh," Minako said. "Is that way he refuses to speak to anyone?"

"I don't know. It's just that....he's got a lot of history," Selphie said. "You'll have to ask him yourself someday. I'm not really in the position to tell you all about Squall. Look, it's already seven o'clock. Better wrap up the meeting." Selphie closed a large planner she had. She gratefully thanked her three new members and let them go.

-- ** --

Minako, Rei and Ami were sitting in the 2F Classroom alone. Instructor Trepe had called the three of them up, saying that she had somethng to give them.

Rei pulled up the main menu on her study panel again, and then she looked at the Garden Festival website. She took a look at the member list and laughed aloud.

**Members!**  
Selphie Tilmitt (Chairman, Active)  
Squall Leonhart (Barely Active)  
Zell Dincth (Kind of active)  
Rei Hino (Active)  
Minako Aino (Active)  
Ami Mizuno (Active)

It was so pitiful! She closed the page when the elegant form of Instructor Trepe entered the room. Quistis typed in a few things at her main study panel, and then she walked to the center aisle.

"Ok girls. Instructor Hui took you out on a field trip a few days ago, correct?"

The girls nodded.

"It came to my attention that none of you have weapons or GFs, so you were pretty much helpless, huh?"

Rei said, "Well- yeah."

Quistis continued, "I can't get you girls weapons, but I do have some GFs you can junction. They're very, very strong. I really shouldn't give any of you a GF so strong, but I don't have a choice. You girls need some sort of protection. I'll have Seifer teach you how to use it on your study periods."

Rei sniffed. _Not that guy again. I'm sure he's a rapist._

Quistis set to work at Rei's study panel first. "Put your thumb on the pad- right there. Ok..." She typed in a few things and entered a few passwords. Rei felt a tingling feeling spread from her arm to her brain. She giggled. "Hmm...It looks like you'll get along pretty well with Ruby Dragon. Its attack is called Bomb Threat. I'll get Seifer to meet you at the Training Center during your study period again, and he'll teach you how to use it." She moved onto to Ami, and she instructed her to do the same thing.

"Wow. Your compatibility with Krysta is really high. It attacks with Snow Flurry. Don't worry, the attack is much stronger than it sounds," Quistis laughed.

"That means you'll get Catoplebas- No you won't...That's strange. You're compatibility with Catoplebas is extremely low...It'll forever to summon it, if it even came in the first place. I don't have any other- well...." Quistis put her thumb on the pad, and the screen bleeped. Then she told Minako to put her thumb there, too. "Ok, I'll go head and let you have Siren. Your compatibilty with her is a lot more than Catoplebas. Geez, that's weird...Siren attacks with Silent Voice."

"Instructor Trepe, what are GFs, anyway?" Rei asked. 

Quistis sat down in a seat. "It's kind of hard to explain...umm...Some creatures are born with the natural instinct to protect something. For instance, Rei, the Ruby Dragon you have was protecting another, more powerful GF. After my team and I defeated the Ruby Dragon, its master shunned it. Naturally, it looked for something to protect it. It found me, and I junctioned it. Siren was taken from a creature a long time ago, and Krysta was taken from a castle."

"A castle?" Ami laughed, "I have a royal GF!" The three other girls giggled with her. Quistis got everyone's study period times and instructed them to meet Seifer at the Training Center the next day. 

-- ** --

Rei waited patiently outside of the Training Center doors. She had learned already that Seifer was not the punctual type. It was a while before she finally spotted him walking down the halls. His chin was in the air and that 'I'm-a-badass' grin was on his face. Rei rolled her eyes. He walked up to her.

"Hello Rei," he greeted. "Here we are again."

"Let's just get going." 

Seifer opened the doors and held them for Rei. He waved his arms dramatically, gesturing for her to enter before him. Rei glared at him before going in. The steel doors slammed and startled Rei. She jumped and turned around, bumping into Seifer. She pushed him away with her hand. 

"Hey!" she said. "Now listen, Seifer. You keep your hands off me, got it? I may be a girl, but I'm not_ nearly _as helpless as I look."

Seifer laughed, "You're the one who's got your hands on _me._" He gestured to his chest, where Rei's hand was. She looked and hastily removed her hand, as if she just realized it was there in the first place. She crossed her arms, annoyed. He laughed again and gestured for her to follow him.

"Oh, look. Another Grat," he said lamely. "Are you ready to use your GF?"

Rei nodded somewhat uncertainly.

"Close your eyes," Seifer instructed, "and concentrate. Look for it with your mind. It's like trying to say a name that's on the tip of your tongue, but you just can't get it. It's like calling up a lost memory. I'll hold the Grat off while you call it up."

She closed her eyes. Blackness. _Ok...this is weird. It's just...black. Umm...Ruby Dragon? Hello? Where are you? I'M SUMMONING YOU! HELLO?! Ruby Dragon...?_

That's when she felt. It was distinct feeling that startled her at first, but she knew, she _felt _she was getting it right. It's hard to describe...Rei felt like she was trying to remember something she had forgotten, like a number...or a name...or a spell...something that she couldn't quite put her thumb on. Rei mentally called out 'Ruby Dragon' over and over until-

Bam. It hit her like a 10 pound anvil. The feeling like she wasn't herself anymore, she wasn't in control. Her eyes opened of their own accord, and her lips whispered on their own, "Bomb Threat." The world around her faded to blackness. She was seeing it through the eyes of something else, another creature. Not only was she not in control, she didn't even have her body anymore. Summoning GFs was an extremely strange and totally unnerving process. She was in something else's body! For a second, Rei wondered if that was supposed to be happening...

The creature she was in roared with a fury. Out of it's mouth flew fire so hot it burned white. A tunnel of flames hit the Grat and killed it instantly. The Training Center came back into view, and Rei stumbled backwards and fell on her bottom.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, whoa," Seifer said. He offered a hand and helped her up. "That was quick. Your compatibility with the Ruby Dragon is really, really high. It came quickly."

"No kidding. But it was all around scary. I wasn't in control at all. Is that supposed to happen? What if that thing I was in decides it wants to kill me?"

"No, no, no. You see, when they aren't being summoned, GFs take up a certain part of your memory. When they are summoned, the situation switches, and you become a part of their memory for a short while. That's why you felt like you weren't in control," Seifer explained.

"Oh. Can I do it again?" Rei asked.

Seifer laughed, "Yeah, sure."

-- ** --

Minako's study period was from 1:30-2:30, and Seifer was waiting at the Training Center for her when she arrived. She slowed her pace, just to aggravate him. When she actually got to him, he was smiling. He always smiled. She wondered when he didn't.

"Minako, right?"

"That's me!"

"All right, let's go!" he said. Seifer held open the doors for her and followed her in. They immediately found a Grat to dispose of, and Seifer walked her through the summoning process. It took a little less than a minute for her to call forth Siren, but Minako gradually began calling Siren faster after a few more Grats.

"How did Rei do?" Minako asked curiously.

A mischevious grin came to Seifer's face. "Rei did just _fine_."

"Why are you smiling like that?"

Seifer feigned innocence. "Can't a guy smile?"

"Not like_ that _while he's talking about my best friend, no."

"Smiling like what?"

"Like _that_- eeew!" Minako exclaimed suddenly. She crossed her arms and began rubbing them, like something was covering her. Seifer ran to her, but there was nothing visibly wrong with her.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Scales. I'm all scaly! My skin...it's so rough!" she whimpered.

"What are you talking about?" Seifer asked. There was clearly nothing wrong with her skin. He reached out and touched her arm, and she was calm.

"That was scary," Minako declared. "My skin was...it hurt, too. I thought I was turning into a fish or something."

"A fish?"

"No, now that I think of it. It felt hard...and leathery...and just gross!" There was a loud roar behind them, and Seifer turned.

"Damn it, a T-Rexaur. Let's get outta here."

Minako nodded, cowering backwards. Together, they turned and ran from the humongous thing.

-- ** --

Ami got to the Training Center a few minutes before she was supposed to, and she was surprised to find Seifer already there. From the way Instructors talked about him, he wasn't a model student, though very powerful. He sniffed when she walked up to him.

"You must be Ami," he deduced. Ami nodded. "Right this way, then." He opened the doors and followed her in.

Ami was quite taken aback by the Training Center. She had never been inside the Training Center before, and it was a very creepy place to her. She had stopped walking so she could take in the whole setting.

"Hey, hurry it up! I ain't got all day," Seifer said rudely. "Let's see..." 

He looked around, beckoning for Ami to follow him everywhere. Seifer commented that there seemed to be a shortage of animals all of a sudden.

"That's really weird. We've been walking for nearly half an hour, and nothing," he said.

"Maybe they're afraid of us?" Ami suggested. This caused Seifer to laugh aloud.

"_Yeah_, I bet those T-Rexaur's are just _terrified_ of one gunblade specialist and girl who can't summon."

"Well it was just a suggestion. You don't have to be so rude about it, Mr. Gunblade Specialist," Ami replied. She crossed her arms and started looking, too. She spotted something moving in a bush near by. Ami put her hand on Seifer's arm and silently gestured for him to look. He walked a little closer, but he shrugged.

"I can't see anything," he whispered.

Ami flipped on her visor without thinking. He had already seen it when she realized she shouldn't exactly be showing it off to everyone.

"What the heck is that?" Seifer asked, looking closer. "This isn't a place to wear sunglasses-"

"It's my visor," Ami replied honestly. "It works kind of like a Scan spell, only a bit more detailed than that."

"Really?" Seifer looked impressed.

"Yeah. It can sense heat and changes in the atmosphere- there's something over there. It's really, really hot."

"Must be fire elemental. That's odd...Got any Ice magic?" Seifer asked.

Ami nodded. "My GF uses an Ice based attack."

Seifer explained to her how to summon a GF. She flipped off her visor and concentrated, just like he told her to. It was only a matter of seconds before she was seeing things in the eyes of the Ice creature Krysta. It attacked with a force that surprised even Seifer. When the attack was over, Ami was breathing heavily.

"Wow. Instructor Trepe really hooked you three up," Seifer commented. "You OK?"

Ami placed her hand over her heart. "That was...whoa...Krysta is really strong. I'm surprised Instructor Trepe thought I could handle that."

"Can I see that visor of yours?" Seifer asked.

Ami hesitated before shaking her head. "No, I don't think it would fit you. It was custom made."

"Oh really?" Seifer quizzed. He was suspicious, very. "When?" He took a step closer to Ami.

Ami didn't answer. Instead, she changed subject. Glancing at her watch, she said, "I have to go. My study period is almost over, and I _do _need to study. Um, thanks, Seifer." With that, she waved and left the Training Center alone. She had forgotten that live creatures roamed through the whole thing, but Seifer was asking questions Ami wasn't sure she should answer. Once safely outside the Training Center, Ami recalled the strange feeling that overtook her when she summoned Krysta. She smiled complacently and left down the hall.

-- ** --

_There they go again, running. From what?_

Seifer went to inspect the dead thing. It was underneath a mass of bushes, and he pulled it out with his gloved hands, knowing very well that it could still be alive. But it wasn't, and Seifer examined it. It was a spiderlike thing he had never seen before. He decided to bring it up to Headmaster Cid later.

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
| **** End of Chapter 4 ****|  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**


	6. Dreaming of Warmth

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
****All You Wanted  
****(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**

(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
( _If you want to, _)  
( _I can save you, _)  
( _I can take you away from here. _)  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)

_-- *_Chapter 5: Dreaming of Warmth* --

_"I used to have dreams about _her._"_

_"Really?"_

_"Mmmhmm. This was before you and me, though. I think...I think they scared me."_

-- ** --

Ami woke up to the sounds of her dorm door opening. A girl with three huge bags was clambering in. Ami rubbed her eyes and nearly fell of her bed. It was 6:26, just four minutes till her alarm would go off. She rolled off her bed and put on a pair of Garden slippers. From the doorway of her room, she greeted, "Hello!"

"Oh!" the girl said, dropping a bag. "I'm sorry, you startled me. You must be Ami? I'm Alexis." She extended her hand, and Ami accepted it with a polite shake. "I'll be staying here for while. My parents are moving all over the place. Would you believe I've been to three Gardens in the past year?"

"Wow. You must be pretty good at making friends by now," Ami commented lightly.

"No, actually. I think I've gotten worse!" Alexis laughed. Ami rubbed her eyes and withdrew back into her dorm to get ready for the day. It wasn't until after she was dressed that she remembered she had many of her books in the other room.

Ami knocked on the door. Alexis opened up and smiled.

"Um, I think kept a few things in there," Ami said. Alexis left the door, and then she returned with a stack of books, notepads and a few pens. "Oh! I see you have it all together. Um....this is it, thank you!" She took the stack from Alexis and returned to her dorm. As she leafed through her stuff, she found the pamphlet she had looked through her first day at Garden. The Library was circled. Ami smiled to herself, and decided to go get some more reading material.

-- ** --

Ami was browsing through books at library when the pigtailed girl came up from behind her and tapped her.

"Hello!" she greeted cheerily. Ami turned around

"Oh, hello," she said. "Abby, right?"

The girl nodded her head, and her pigtails waggled. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"Zell told me," Ami replied. At his name, Abby's face turned grim.

"Oh. I see. Well, I just wanted to...::sigh::..meet the girl," Abby said.

Ami questioned, "What...girl?"

"You," Abby said. It looked like her eyes were beginning to tear. She looked a little angry, and Ami wondered why. "The girl that Zell comes to see all the time."

"Oh, no," Ami laughed, "I'm afraid you've made a mistake!"

"No. No. I haven't. Do you really think that knucklehead come for the _books_?" Abby said forcefully. A little tear made its way down her cheek. Ami didn't quite know what to do.

"If you want to know, Zell comes to see _you_," Ami confessed. "He told me so the day I met him."

Abby rolled her eyes and cleared the tear away from face. "He stopped coming to see me a long time ago, hunny. Well, you better not...::choke::...take too long getting him. Or he'll....::sob::...go and find someone...::sob::...else." Her tears were flowing freely now, and Ami did the only thing she could do. She put her arms around the girl in a great big hug.

"What did I do wrong?" Abby sobbed. "Was I playing _too_ hard to get? Did I push him away?"

Ami shook her head. "Oh, I think he's still very interested in you," she said. "Like you said, he doesn't come for the books-"

"He comes for you!" Abby accused. "What have you got that I don't? Is it the hair? Maybe I should go for a short cut, too?"

"Oh, no! Don't do that! Your hair is just lovely," Ami consoled. "I think you should give Zell another chance."

"Another _chance_? I want him to give _me_ another chance!" Abby sobbed. She was clearly heartbroken over Zell. Ami wondered what about Zell could make Abby so sad over losing him- if she lost him in the first place. As far as she was concerned, Zell was still coming to the library girl to talk with Abby.

_Zell's a great guy. He's cute, definitely cute. He's got a great body and a wonderful smile. That tattoo is so...well, it's just plain adorable. Maybe it was an attempt to seem _manly_, but I think it worked the other way around. But there's got to be more to a guy than that to make a girl this heartbroken over him. Zell's so full of energy. He's very kind, and caring, and all around helpful. I would know. I would've gotten so frustrated with myself many times...I still don't think he's something to cry about though. Ok....so why am I trying to convince myself he's not?_

"Whoa, why's everyone crying?" a voice exclaimed. Ami looked up. Zell was there, looking at Abby and Ami. Suddenly, Ami laughed aloud. Abby pulled away from her embrace and stared at her hard. Then, Abby burst out laughing, too. Zell scratched the back of his head and gave both of them questioning looks.

"Hello, _Zell_," Abby spat, "we were just _talking_ about you. G'bye Ami. Nice to meet you!" She waved and went back to her position behind the counter.

"Well..._Hi Zell!_" Ami greeted uncomfortably. "I'd love to stay and talk...but I have to go." She didn't know what to do- the situation was so _awkward_ all of a sudden. She embraced Zell in a hug, and then held him at shoulder's length, scanning him up and down. Zell gave her a look that clearly asked 'What are you _on_?'. Ami waved and left the library at a running pace.

On her way out, Seifer waved her over. He was standing outside with Rei and Minako. They waved to Ami also.

"Oh my God, Ami- are you _blushing_?" Minako asked.

Oh. So that incredibly heat Ami had felt just a minute ago was still there? Damn.

Rei quizzed, "What's the matter? What happened?"

Ami laughed. "Nothing. Umm...it's a _long_ story-"

"- and we don't have time for that," Seifer interjected. "You three can have your girl talk later. You've got to pick your weapons first."

"Huh?" Ami asked.

Rei replied, "Instructor Hui sent Seifer to track the three of us down so we could pick our weapons."

"What are you, some kind of parateacher?" Ami asked.

Seifer shrugged. "Not really. I just have a lot of spare time on my hands. Teachers notice, so they send me on stupid errands. All right, let's get going. I'm gonna take you to the Garden weapon room."

-- ** --

Instructor Hui was waiting there for them. He gestured for them to enter, and Seifer left once they did.

"All right, ladies, you've been stalling for long enough. Time to pick something," he told them. He unlocked a huge drawer mounted on the wall. In it was a lot of deadly looking weapons.

"Wow. I can pick any one of these?" Minako asked, scanning the collection.

Hui nodded. "Just make sure you can handle it." Ami crossed her arms and stepped up.

Rei began jumping up and down excitedly. "Oooh! Oooh! A bow-and-arrow!" She was gesturing to a bow-and-arrow that was inside the case on one of the shelves.

"You'd want to use that? They're expensive," Instructor pointed out. "Once you get your SeeD license, you'll be OK, but until then, you'll probably have to get a job to replaces arrows. It's a pretty tough weapon to master."

"I don't think I'll have much luck at anything else," Rei said. "I'll pick the bow-and-arrow." She took the bow and quiver that had a few arrows in it. They were low grade, but Rei figured they would work. She didn't plan on much fighting anyway. Rei leaned against the wall, examining her new weapon.

Minako took a look at all the shelves and spotted a Revolver gunblade. She grabbed it and admired it at once. "Wow...I've never held one of these. Instructor Hui, could I use a gunblade? I would really, really like to."

Hui looked uncertain as he answered, "I'm not sure you can handle that. A bow is one thing, a gunblade is another. It's a particularly hard weapon to master. I'll have to get you private lessons. I don't think-"

"It's settled then. I'm going to become a gunblade specialist."

Ami laughed, remembering Seifer's words. She went to the shelf and picked off a simple looking pistol. She hefted it in her hand a few times, then she replaced it. "I- I don't know! Any suggestions?"

Instructor Hui shrugged and examined a few of the weapons on the shelf. He withdrew an oddly shaped tube.

"Blowgun? It's not as weak as it looks. With the right kind of darts, you could Poison enemies or even kill them."

Ami took the blowgun from Instructor's hands. It was light, and she could probably keep it in her pocket. It would be good if she were ever going to go on an undercover SeeD mission somewhere. She took one last look at it before nodding to Hui. A blowgun, then. The three girls left the room with their new weapons, feeling somewhat empowered.

-- ** --

Rei said goodnight to Minako and retired into her room. She undressed and got into her bed. She pulled the covers over her and floated off to sleep.

-- * _ZZzZzzzZzZz _* --

_There was a shadow in the corner of the room, the silhouette of a woman. In the other corner there was a girl, sitting in a chair. Rei had never seen her before._

_"He'll be the Sorceress' Knight, you know that," the shadow said._

_The girl looked down. She stood up, fist curled and seeming resolute. "I know. But he's not now. I can change him-"_

_"There you go again. Always looking for someone to change. Will you ever really _**_love?_** _Sometimes, I swear you're so concerned for everyone else, you'll forget about your own heart."_

_"If he can be saved, then I will save him."_

_"But that's just it, my dear, he can't be. He's already so far gone..." The girl standing fell back into her chair, looking discouraged. She looked down at her knees and mumbled something._

_"I'm his only hope."_

-- * _ZZzZzzzZzZz _* --

When Rei woke up, her breath was ragged and she was sweating. Sitting straight up in her bed, she wiped away the beads of perspiration that had formed on her brow. What a strange dream that was...Rei shrugged it off and fell back to sleep.

-- ** --

The next day, Minako walked into class feeling groggy and a bit out of it. She took a seat at the study panel and tapped a few keys. A message from Instructor Hui was waiting for her. It said:

**Report to the Training Center during study period for gunblade lessons.**

Minako looked at her watch. She had plenty of time, and she decided on going to lunch after the lesson. It was on GFs. She had surprisingly gotten the hang of it- all three girls had. She guessed it was because of their training as senshi, but all three of the girls were finally beginning to catch on, much to their delight. Ami, Rei and Minako were top students in all of their classes, thanks to the extra help they had gotten from Seifer, Zell and Quistis. Instructor Trepe entered the room, and the lesson began.

-- ** --

Minako ran down the main hall of Balamb. Her study period had started twenty minutes ago, and she was _not_ at the Training Center. She hoped Instructor Hui wouldn't be too angry with her. The guy had a very short temper. She hustled down the hallway, surprised to find no one there. She thanked her stars that she wasn't any later than the Instructor was. A loud noise from inside the Training Center piqued her attention. She grabbed her new gunblade closer to her chest and inched inside the steel doors.

Squall was tearing up a T-Rexaur.

On his own.

She watched as he slashed at the thing with a fury, causing massive damage. He bounced away from it, a strange glow emitting from his body. Then, as if completely recharged, he dived at the humongous dinosaur and slashed at it several times with a fury that seemed the pulsate from the gunblade. He was striking so fast and hard that the momentum kept him in the air. When he finally finished slashing at it, the T-Rexaur died. Squall landed on the floor with a certain amount of grace. He was breathing heavily, and there were a few bruises on his body.

"Whoa, that was awesome- are you ok?" Minako asked.

Squall looked up, seemed to have just noticed her. "You're late," he said.

Minako smiled nervously. "Oh. Yeah. Sort of."

Squall cast three spells on himself- Minako recognized them as Curagas- and stood up. He walked over to her and grabbed her gunblade from her hand. He examined it closely.

"Hmm. A Revolver gunblade. I started out with one of those."

"Really? Maybe one day I'll have on as nice as yours..." Minako sighed.

"Whatever," Squall said. "First off, you're holding it wrong. Grip it like this." He showed her how on his own gunblade. Minako tried to replicate his grip, but she found her hands too small to hold the whole thing.

"My hands are too small," Minako said.

Squall shrugged. "You'll have to get the handle custom made, then. I'll take you to Balamb later to get it fixed. For now, you can use mine. It's lighter, but it's also a lot more powerful. Be. Careful." He handed her his Lion Heart gunblade. Minako took it and reveled in how much lighter and smaller it was. Just for kicks, she fired the gun and was nearly blown off her feet. She had done that with the Revolver, and it wasn't nearly as powerful as this!

"Watch it, watch it!" Squall said, looking more worried for Lion Heart than Minako. "The ammo's not cheap. Don't waste it."

"Sorry. Wow, that thing packs a lot of power," Minako commented.

"No kidding. Ok, when you're standing by, it's best if you hold it like this," he instructed.

He showed her how she should hold it, but Minako asked, "Why can't I hold it like this?" She took on a corny pose, intended to make Squall laugh. But he didn't, instead he gave her a somewhat exasperated look. He then demanded that she take things seriously.

"I _am_. I'm just asking a question. You're rather peevish, aren't you?"

"Whatever. Hold it like this," he demanded.

Minako tried, but Squall told her she wasn't getting it right.

"I don't know what you're doing. What am I doing it wrong?"

"Your arms- You're doing- Lift it a little- You know what? I'll show you."

Squall set the Revolver gunblade onto the floor and walked behind Minako. He put his arms around her and his hands over hers. It was pretty easy; his frame was considerably larger than hers. He molded her arms until she was in the correct position. When Squall moved in front of her to see his work, he was amused to see her blushing.

"S-so this is right?" Minako asked. Squall nodded.

"When you're waiting for your turn to attack, straighten your back and hold the gun out a little."

Minako tried to do so, but Squall said, "No, you're not holding the gunblade out for someone to take. Hold it in closer. And straighten up your back more." She tried again, but Squall walked over to her and pushed her back in, causing her to straighten up. He adjusted the angle of the gunblade.

"There."

"Why do I have to hold it this way?"

"Because it saves energy. You ask too many questions."

"Thank you," Minako replied, sticking out her tongue. Squall rolled his eyes.

"Now for some drills...to help you build strength." There was a devilish smile in Squall's face that Minako didn't quite understand. She shuddered visibly and took a deep breath.

-- ** --

By the end of the period, Minako's was lying on the ground, feeling half dead. Squall crouched over her, that same smile on his face.

"You look tired."

Minako propped herself up and pointed the tip of the gunblade to Squall's chest. Her arms were so sore, though, that she dropped it in a matter of seconds. "You're terrible," she said, "really, really terrible! I don't think I've ever hurt so much in my life! I feel like I've run a 10k marathon- and _lost_. That gunblade it takes _work_."

Squall laughed.

"I've been trying this _whole_ training session to get you to laugh! And you crack up at me being in pain- Oh, I get it. You're sadistic. Next thing you know, I'll find handcuffs and fuzzy thongs in your room."

The brunette's smile faded, and he offered a hand to help her up. Minako stumbled forward a bit, crashing into Squall. He took a step back, but he supported Minako, for she was leaning against him with all her weight.

"You are such an asswhole for putting me through that," she whispered. "I cannot feel my legs." She began to bang on Squall's chest lightly. "You're so mean."

"It gets worse," Squall replied honestly.

Minako finally stood on her own. She lifted Lion Heart off the ground and handed it back to Squall. "You could never be a teacher. You're way to honest. No consolation? You know, sometimes that's all people want. A little comforting."

Squall gave her a calculating look. He stared at her a long time, seeming to go into a trance-like state. Suddenly, he 'snapped' out of it and told her, "That's enough for today." He waved to Minako absentmindedly and started to leave the Training Center.

"Hey wait!" Minako called out. Squall turned and looked at her with an expectant face. "I'm half dead- don't you have some spell or something you can cast on me to make me feel better?"

Squall rolled his eyes, looking extremely ticked off. He began to cast something when Minako stopped him.

"You know what? Just forget it. I wouldn't want you to waste one of your precious spells on _me_. After all, I'm only a fellow _human being_," she said meanly. "Just stay close to me."

-- ** --

Squall froze. Minako gestured for him to start moving. He had obviously pissed her off. That didn't bother him. It was what she had said that did.

-- ** --

That night, Squall walked into his dorm and sat down on the edge of his bed. It had been a long day, and he felt a headache coming on. He subconsciously fingered his scar before rolling over onto his bed, not bothering to take off his clothes. Sleep came quickly, but it came with dreams.

-- * _ZZzZzzzZzZz _* --

_The lion waited patiently. It had been such a long, long time since he had seen his dearest angel. The little dinosaur- well, it wasn't much of anything anymore. The lion used it as a chewtoy. The doll, however, was a gift from his angel, and therefore a treasure to him. He was looking at it again now. He looked at it whenever he got lonely, and boy, he was feeling lonely right about now. And suddenly, a little ray of sunshine seemed to fall over him. He looked up into the sky. It seemed like the clouds were parting._

_"She's coming back to me. She's finally come back to me_."

-- * _ZZzZzzzZzZz _* --

Squall's eyes opened slowly. He hadn't had a dream like that...since Rinoa died. He sat up and hugged his knees a bit. What in a million years was he going to do without her? Every step he took in life seemed harder to take than the last. It wasn't like that with her around.

Life was good when she was around.

Too bad she wasn't.

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
| **** End of Chapter 5 ****|  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**


	7. Together Today

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
****All You Wanted  
****(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**

(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
( _So lonely inside, _)  
( _So busy out there, _)  
( _And all you wanted was somebody who cared. _)  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)

_-- *_Chapter 6: Together Today* --

_"When was the turning point for _us_?"_

_"The turning point for us? Let me see...."_

-- ** --

"So you see," Minako explained, "I think you were right. I can't handle a gunblade."

She said it simply and matter-of-factly, and Instructor Hui did not seemed to be surprised at all. But still, he wasn't going to let her forget. He was a teacher, and he found lessons in _everything_.

"Minako, I can't let students constantly be changing weapons," he stated.

"I know, but it's only been a week or two since I first got it."

"Exactly. Give yourself some time to break it in," Hui suggested. "The lessons should be helping you. Squall's quite an accomplished gunblade specialist."

"But you see, he's half the problem!" she exclaimed. "We don't get along that well- please let me switch? I already have a weapon in mind."

Instructor Hui seemed to mull over something before nodding and gesturing for her to follow him. He took her through Balamb Garden to the weapon storage room. He pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the drawer. He impatiently told her to hurry it up.

Minako nodded and went to the case, apparently looking for something. When she spotted it, she withdrew it from the case and showed them to Instructor Hui. It was a pair of plain looking daggers.

"Daggers?" Instructor Hui quizzed, looking at her skeptically.

Minako nodded. "I've been reading a lot about them. I think I could-"

"You thought you could handle a gunblade. After this, I won't allow you to switch weapons. You'll never become a SeeD if you keep doing that! Daggers are a close range weapon. When an enemy is out of reach, you'll have to rely totally on magic. Someone casts Silence on you...."

Minako smiled to herself. Instructor Hui didn't know that she was good with daggers. Or, at throwing them anyway. Two days ago, Megan, a friend, had showed Minako her daggers. Minako picked one up and pointed out that it was really light. Megan informed her that those daggers were a higher level model that were optimized for throwing as well as stabbing, should the need for it arise. She also insisted that Minako have a go. Minako obliged, and to her ultimate surprise, she was barely a few centimeters away from the mark Megan had put on her practice board. It was then she knew daggers would have to be her weapon.

She hefted one in her hand and looked around the room. There was a target against one of the walls; she guessed it was for people like Rei, who had a bow as their weapon of choice, to test out the quality of their newly picked weapons. Minako picked up a dagger and weighed it in her hands. Then she gripped it by the blade and threw it from her hand with a lot of force. She watched with a smile on her face- she knew she would hit her target the moment the blade left her hand. It hit the edge of the center mark. Instructor Hui gave her an impressed look.

"If my enemy is long range- I'll throw them," Minako said, smiling.

Instructor Hui nodded, looking slightly embarrassed and even a little peevish.

-- ** --

Ami walked briskly into the Library. She had gotten into a conversation with another student about elemental GFs while she was walking out of a class. The two stayed talking in the hall for so long, before Ami realized it, she was twenty minutes into her study period. She waved goodbye to that person(Deena) and headed for the Library to complete yet another extra credit project.

When she saw Zell standing outside of the library, shadowboxing, she froze and almost turned around. Mentally, she scolded herself.

_Ami, stop being so childish. He's just a _boy._ And you've got work to do!_ Ami walked in, and she had intended to do so alone, but Zell had waved at her, and he began walking with her.

"Hey!" he greeted. "Whatcha up to now?"

"Another extra credit project."

"Who's it for this time?" Zell quizzed.

Ami replied, "Instructor Trepe. It's supposed to be an essay on the relationship between a GF and its summoner."

Zell scratched his head. "Oh. My relationship with Eden is pretty damn good, if you ask me. I've had it ever since we first got it at the Deep Sea Research Center. Hasn't left me- not _once_!"

This piqued her attention; she figured she could 'interview' Zell and get some good material for her essay.

"Really? How quickly does Eden come when you summon it?" Ami asked, writing something down on her notebook.

He shrugged and sat down in a chair across from her. "Not long. I'd say...less than 10 seconds, definitely."

"10 _seconds_?!" Ami exclaimed. "Wow..."

"Yep." Zell brushed his knuckle on his chest, a gesture of smugness. "But you think _that's_ impressive, you should see Eden _attack_. Eternal Breath is one of the most powerful attacks out there. Non-elemental, too!"

Ami wrote some things down, and Zell was just noticing. Ami looked at him, feigning a suspicious look. She drew her notepad closer to her, and Zell leaned forward in an attempt to see what she was writing.

"Hey, hey, what're you writing?" Zell asked.

"Nothing," Ami replied, looking innocent.

Zell narrowed his eyes. "Nothing, huh?"

"Yep. Nothing."

He waggled his eyebrows at her, making Ami giggle a little. Then, so quickly that Ami didn't have time to prepare herself, Zell's hand shot out to Ami's knee and squeezed that little piece of thigh just above it. Ami squealed and dropped the notepad, which Zell promptly took up.

"You're terrible!" Ami exclaimed, hugging her knees, which were propped up on the very edge of her chair.

Zell cleared his throat and read, " 'Zell says he's never left Eden once. Eden comes in less than 10 seconds -WOW- when summoned.' Oh. That's _it_?"

"I told you it was nothing," Ami replied, curling her feet under her and sitting on her knees. She laughed at Zell. "What were you expecting, a diary?"

Zell shrugged. He left the seat across from her for the one right next to her. Ami grabbed her notebook back and gently slammed it onto the table with a soft _thud_, meaning to make a point and throwing a playful glare at Zell, who only smiled back. The silence kind of got heavy, and Ami noticed that Abby had come in for her shift.

"Zell..." Ami began.

"Yeah?"

"You still come to the Library to see Abby, right?" Ami asked.

Zell looked kind of uncomfortable answering this. He waited several moments before saying, "Yeah. Of course."

_Then how come you haven't talked to her in ages? How come you're here with _me?

"Why makes you ask?" Zell quizzed.

Ami shrugged. "She...."

"Told you something, didn't she? That's why she was crying that day, right?" Zell finished.

Ami asked carefully, "Do you know why she was crying."

Zell shifted his weight from one side of his body and back to the other before he answered, "No."

Ami looked at him with an eyebrow raised skeptically.

"Is there anything you want to...tell me?" Ami asked. The words felt so odd coming out of her mouth, for a glimmer of an instant she felt like her mother! She smiled at the thought, and Zell seemed to have caught that.

"You do that a lot," he said.

"Do what?"

"Smile. You smile when you think I'm not looking. Its a different kind of smile....ahh...forget it, you don't wanna hear-"

"No. I do. How do I smile, Zell?" Ami asked with a hint of laughter in her voice. She was feeling...

"Well- sometimes you smile, and I swear you're remembering something, and me and my damn curiosity- sometimes I would just kill to know what it is that's making you smile that that. It's stupid..."

"I lost my memory, remember?"

"Tch, whatever...I don't buy that story one bit," Zell reasoned. "You're hiding something, all three of you girls are."

Ami looked slapped. "What would make you suspect that?"

"Sometimes you guys slip. You mention something that you '_used_' to do. Once you told me that you've always 'been a good student'. I don't buy any of it," Zell said.

"How long have you..."

"First day I met you. You looked way to together and sure of who you were to be someone who can't remember their past. I know what it's like not remembering, and I know what a person goes through."

Ami turned thoughtful. "All this time and you haven't even asked?"

Zell shook his head. "I figure you'll tell me when you feel like it."

_So there. He knows that I've got something to hide, and yet he doesn't ask about it. He waits. For me. When I'm ready, I can tell him everything, and I wonder if he'll still care. I don't see why it should make a difference where I'm from...But that's just great. He's going to hold off his 'damn curiosity' until I'm ready, and he won't pressure me about it all...Zell strikes me as the type who would go to the ends of the Earth for whoever it is that's got his heart. Maybe that's something worth crying over?_

"What?" Zell asked suddenly.

"Hmmm...?" Ami replied absentmindedly.

"You're looking at me."

Ami laughed. "I look at a lot of people." Zell narrowed his eyes at her. "What? I'm not casting some sort of Love spell on you or anything."

"That's funny," Zell said. Then, underneath his breath, "I thought you already had."

"Huh?"

"What?"

"You said something."

Zell replied, "Yeah. I said 'That's funny.'"

Ami shook her head. "No. After that. What did you say?"

Zell shook his head. "Nothing. I didn't say anything."

"I heard you!"

"You're hearing things. I didn't say anything."

"Yes you did."

"No I didn't."

"You said something," Ami replied. Zell stopped talking, and Ami thought maybe he was going to tell her.

Instead, he grabbed her chin and kissed her.

Ami was stiff at first. She hadn't kissed too many guys before...but this felt so _good_, she had to loosen up. Zell's tongue pushed past her lips as she gasped. His finger tips moved to the side of her face, they felt so cool against her heated skin. The heat- oh, God, the _heat!_ Ami felt like warmth was seeping out of Zell's body and into hers. It must have been twenty seconds- it felt like nothing to both- when a loud shriek broke them from their little kiss. Ami looked up and clasped her hands to her mouth.

"What's the matter?" Zell asked, hoping to Hyne he hadn't done anything wrong.

Still blushing profusely, Ami shook her head. "Oh, it's not you. It's Abby. I think she saw us. She's got it bad for you."

"But....I've got it bad for _you_."

Ami froze. Her heart pounded in her chest. Her gaze shifted to knees and...

-- ** --

The next day, Instructor Hui walked into the 2F classroom and took his seat at the big desk in front. He logged into the control panel and logged in as he addressed his students casually.

"Ok, class! Today we'll be starting group projects. I'll set you up in groups of two. Your job is to recategorize the bestiary. For example, you could sort all the animals out by the spells they carry, items they possibly drop- anything except for alphabetical."

Minako groaned. This sounded like _fun_.

"Now for pairings....Alison Abery with Josh Kennington...Addilon Braber with Kara Benz...."

Minako listened on for her name, swirling her pen around in her fingers lazily. Rei had gotten put with some guy named Jordan and Ami was paired with Sadmi, another brainiac girl.

"Squall Leonhart with Minako Aino." Minako dropped her pencil. She stood up, about to protest, but she saw that smile on Instructor Hui's face. She also noted that there was a hint of myrth in his voice as he called out her name.

_He's doing this just to spite me! Rotten Instructor..._

Minako did as she was told and sat next to Squall. He looked at her, an obviously amused smile on his face.

_They're both trying to get at me. Well...I'll just have to annoy the hell out of Squall until he goes to Instructor Hui and demands that partners be switched._

She smiled back

"Howdy, _partner_."

-- ** --

That night, Rei found that she couldn't sleep, no matter how hard she tried. She woke up and paced around her room in the darkness. Her foot got caught on something and she tripped, falling flat on her face. Rei stood up on one foot and rubbed her sore ankle. She hopped to the lightswitch and turned on the lights. She had tripped over her bow.

Looking at it guiltily, she exclaimed, "All right, all right! I'll go take you to practice."

_Rei. You're losing it. You're talking to a bow. That's not healthy..._She giggled as she changed into her Garden uniform.

-- ** --

Rei walked into the Training Center slowly. She had never been there without Seifer, so this would be her first trip alone. She imagined being attacked by millions of Grats and shuddered. She had brought several Remedies with her, so she thought she would be Ok if she used oh....say five of them at once.

She had gotten a sling to hold her bow and quiver behind her, and she took her bow from it now. Knees bent slightly, Rei searched through the Training Center for a creature to practice on. Something beneath a bush moved. A lot. Rei drew back a little. She pulled an arrow from her quiver and put in the bow. It moved some more.

_Oh my God. It's coming at me._

Something was emerging from the bushes, something _big_. Without thinking, Rei loaded an arrow and shot it.

There was a cry of pain.

Seifer stumbled forward, an arrow lodged in his shoulder.

"What the fuck was that for?!" he exclaimed, grasping his shoulder. Blood was seeping out of the wound.

Rei clasped her hands over her mouth as she ran to him. "Oh my God! Seifer, what were you doing there?"

"SITTING!" he yelled. Rei winced. She watched Seifer. He gripped the arrow and, face contorted in pain, pulled it out of his shoulder. It hadn't gone to deep because of the thickness of his trench coat. He dropped the arrow on the floor before casting a few Curagas on himself.

"I'm sorry," Rei apologized. "I thought you were some kind of monster..."

"Close enough," Seifer muttered. He turned around and was leaving, but Rei stopped him.

"It's late. What were you doing in there?"

Seifer turned around and replied, "I already told you. I was sitting. Thinking. Is that all?"

"Why the Training Center?" Rei quizzed. She wanted to keep him there. To protect her.

"Does it matter?"

"To me it does."

Seifer rolled his eyes. "Right there, behind that bush. It's a perfect spot- you can see everyone that enters the Training Center, but they can't see you. It's shady and cool. Does that satisfy you?"

"Do you have sleeping problems?"

"I don't think I'd have a problem sleeping if you let me get back to my bed in the first place," Seifer said meanly. He breifly wondered how she had guessed the exact truth. She that bad habit of reading his mind without knowing it.

"Why are you so pissy all of a sudden?" Rei asked, walking to him.

"I didn't come here for this." He turned around and started walking out again.

"You're not going to your bed, are you?" Rei said, staring at him hard. She was doing it again...

Seifer turned around and stared at her hard, for a long time. He smirked suddenly. 

"You know, you look like warrior with that bow. You're pretty good with it, by the way."

Rei laughed.

"Obviously not. I was aiming for your _head_."

-- ** --

The next day, Minako was in Squall's dorm single.

"Creeps level 30?"

"Yeah," Squall answered. They had decided to categorize their bestiary by spells, which was proving to be harder than they first thought. They were barely on the Death spell. "I already have it. You're not helping by repeating them. Why don't you go to lunch or something and I'll finish it up."

"There you go again!" Minako exclaimed. "You're trying to take this whole project on by yourself."

"Exactly."

"Well- I should let you, but I'm not going to! Why? Because Instructor Hui stuck us together because he thought we didn't get along-"

"We don't."

"- and he thinks we won't be able to pull of a project together-"

"We probably can't."

"- so I'm going to prove him WRONG!"

"Why?"

"You know, you can't do everything on your own."

Squall rolled his eyes. He had gotten this lecture a million times already. And not one of them made a difference. Not'a one.

"If you do- well, you'll live a very lonely life!" Minako pointed out. "And that's the saddest thing in the world."

Squall shrugged. "Whatever."

"Whatever, whatever, whatever! Do you say anything else? Is that your simple solution? When someone says something you can't handle you reply with 'whatever'?"

Extremely exasperated, Squall shouted, "Let me tell YOU something. Everyone- everyone I care about has given me some form of this talk. 'You can't live life alone', they say. Well you know what?! I'm doing just FINE on my own! It's always been that way! Because when it gets down to it, all you've got is YOURSELF. You can't depend on ANYONE because in the end, they won't be there. You'll be alone again..." His tone had shocked Minako into silence. There was a sad, nostalgic look in his eye.

"You're going to grow into an old, unhappy man, Squall," Minako said quietly, "simply because you think what you think. If I lived my whole life thinking that one day Rei and Ami would be gone, odds are, they wouldn't be my friends. And I would have missed out on some of the happiest moments in my life." With that, she left Squall's dorm, making sure to knock something over on the way.

-- ** -- 

Damn that Minako Aino. She infuriated Squall to the point of screaming, to say the _least_, and he had the distinct feeling she was doing it on purpose. He stood up and leaned against the wall. He found that place uncomfortable, so he sat down on the edge of his bed. Squall stared at the pile of books Minako had knocked over on her way out for a long time. He placed his head in his hands and his elbows on his knees and thought.

_....the fuck....Why won't anyone just let me be? Am I really _that _bad? No one- no one will understand. No one knows what it's like to see a loved one walk out the door, to just disappear suddenly. No one knows exactly how much it hurts, and how pointless it is to let anyone get close. Because in the end, they're going to lose that person somehow. And then they're alone again and then they can't cope. I'm not going to go through it again. Not a'fucking'gain._

-- ** --

Damn that Squall Leonhart. He was such an asshole! Every movement, gesture and word that slipped out of his mouth was something insanely rude and it made Minako want to smack him something serious. She knew he had a softer side, because when he laughed there was a different glint in his eye. Why he refused to show it was Minako's problem. It annoyed her to no end that Squall was so afraid of opening up to anyone. She had tried to become friends with him when she had first started school. Minako learned very soon that there was no point.

_...asshole...If he would just give the human race a shot, he'd be a much nicer person, I'm sure of it. Where does that guy get his kicks? Making other people feel inferior? Hurting them? Selphie said he used to have a girlfriend, well she must've been one helluva girl to put up with him! He's just a _jerk_. Oh, I'm sure he's in his dorm right now, thinking about what he's done. I should go right back there and give him a piece of my mind!_

She found herself at Squall's dorm room again. She started to bang on the door, but it slid open. Squall was there. He looked surprised to see her.

"Oh. You forgot your pen," he said simply, holding up a pinkish colored pen.

Minako looked at him incredulously. "You were going to bring it to me?"

He nodded, giving her a look that clearly said 'So....?'

Minako shook her head. She smiled at Squall and took her pen from his hand.

"Thank you, Squall." She waved goodbye and walked down the hall.

Damn that Squall Leonhart. So utterly complex that it made Minako's head spin.

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
| **** End of Chapter 6 ****|  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**


	8. Mission Sense

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
****All You Wanted  
****(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**

(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
( _I'm sinking slowly, _)  
( _So hurry hold me, _)  
( _Your hand is all I have to keep me hanging on. _)  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)

to M*Y*S*T*-*L*A*D*Y: I made the name Abby up. I think it's so cute! People named Abby just strike me as the type who wear pigtails. I don't know why, I'm just incredibly strange.

to ALL READERS: My report card came in today. I got a C, so needless to say, I'll be grounded for a few weeks. I'll try to sneak update whenever I can! Please don't lose hope in this fic!

_-- *_Chapter 7: Mission Sense* --

_"Remember the first mission?"_

_"Remember? Of course."_

_"A lot of things happened on that mission. To everyone.."_

-- ** --

!!TWO YEARS LATER!!

"You are now a member of the Elite," Cid said for the fiftieth time. "You must be very careful now. What you do is a reflection upon Balamb Garden. Keep that in mind." He walked to each of the five people standing in his office and handed them a folder containing their field scores.

To Ami, he whispered, "...You and Selphie are doing a great job on the Garden Festival. Can't wait for the next one..."

To Minako, he whispered, "...I don't think I've ever met anyone who uses daggers so well. Keep it up..."

To a boy named Lalu, he whispered, "...Your scores were terrific. I'm glad to have you on the team..."

To Rei he whispered, "...That bow of yours is fantastic. I was surprised to see your scores come out so high..."

To a boy named Gretch, he whispered, "...I'm still waiting for that Triple Triad rematch you owe me...."

"You are dismissed," Cid said with a happy smile on his face. Five new SeeD members had just been inducted.

-- ** --

Ami ran outside the office and hastily opened up the file holding her scores in it.

Conduct: 100

**Judgment: 80**

**Attack: 50**

**Spirit: 70**

**Attitude: 100**

**SeeD rank: Lv. 8**

She squealed happily. She was a SeeD. She walked into the elevator, completely forgetting about anyone behind her. She closed the doors. When they opened up, Zell was there, leaning against the rails. He had been waiting for her, and he looked more nervous than she had been. Ami wrapped her arms around his neck when she got to him and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm a SeeD!" she exclaimed.

"Of course you are, Ami. What rank?" Zell asked wrapping his hands around her waist.

"Level 8! I'm a SeeD!!"

-- ** --

Minako inhaled deeply before opening the file. She hoped she had done ok.

**Conduct: 100**

**Judgment: 90**

**Attack: 50**

**Spirit: 70**

**Attitude: 80**

**SeeD rank: Lv. 8**

She couldn't contain her happiness. She jumped up and down and ran into the elevator. When the doors split apart, she saw Ami and Zell talking excitedly. She ran to them, shouting, "I'M A SEED! WOOHOO!" She had picked that little habit up from Selphie.

-- ** --

Rei didn't want to open the file that held her SeeD test scores. What if she was a level four or something? She could tell by Ami and Minako's excited reactions that they had ranked highly. She opened up the folder and pulled out her score sheet.

**Conduct: 100**

**Judgment: 100**

**Attack: 80**

**Spirit: 100**

**Attitude: 100**

**SeeD rank: Lv. 10**

She rubbed her eyes, just be sure that she wasn't seeing things wrong.

_I'm a SeeD! Level 10!!! I don't believe it!_ Rei nearly cried tears of joy. She followed her friends' examples and went to the elevator. She got in, barely able to keep from screaming her happiness to the world.

When she got to the second floor, Ami and Minako were waiting for her. They asked her for her rank, and she answered all too happily.

"Wow!" Ami exclaimed. "We're only level 8."

"Who _cares?_" Rei said. "WE'RE SEEDS!"

"So you finally did it?" a familiar voice asked. Rei spun around. Seifer was there, leaning against a rail with his arms crossed in front of him.

"Yeah," Rei replied with a smile, "I finally did it! I'm a SeeD level 10, and I can kick you ass!"

Seifer laughed aloud. "You couldn't of done without me." He smirked. Rei rolled her eyes, but she smiled at him all the same. What he said was half true. Ever since she had come to Garden, Seifer had been somewhere near her, just making sure she wasn't getting herself killed. She guessed it was his way of apologizing for the Grat incident so long ago.

The elevator opened, and Selphie stepped out with Irvine, her boyfriend. They had met him some while ago, and he had past the SeeD test himself just last year. Selphie and the girls had become quite good friends, it was an unstoppable thing. Garden Festival work had kept them together, and Selphie was just so charismatic.

The Garden Festival on SK Day was a big hit. Selphie was jumping up and down backstage, exclaiming she had never had such a full Quad before. Though the girls stayed backstage to make sure everything was running smoothly, Zell reported that there was a line of students standing _outside_ the Quad. The band that performed was called _Eden's Breakdown_, and weren't they the perfect band? They had a whole list of love songs to suit every person's musical tastes. It was also that day that Ami made the decision she should be with Zell.

-- ** --

!!! 1 and a half years ago, Garden Festival, SK Day !!!

Ami sat peering out from behind the stage. Couples were dancing with each other, swaying romantically. The Quad was a sea of heads held close to each other. Every now and then, an Instructor could be seen taking apart a couple that needed to get a room. She sighed a little. and remembered the day in the Library that Zell had confessed he had a crush on her. She had looked to her knees and quietly told him she wasn't ready for a boyfriend. She cursed her shyness. 

Zell took it wonderfully, simply saying, "Then when you're ready for one, you know where to find me!" He laughed after that, and suddenly things were back to normal. Ami had gotten to know him a lot better and now, she had a thing for him. She wondered if he still felt the same way. A tap on her shoulder shook her from her thoughts. She turned around. The largest bouquet of white and blue flowers she had ever seen was being held up- by who, she didn't know, because bouquet was covering this person's entire upper body. Zell's head appeared on the side of the bouquet; he was leaning around so he could see her.

"Happy SK Day," he said. He handed her a little card.

It was a simple, normal sized card. On the cover was a red heart. Ami flipped it open, and she giggled at what she saw. Written in Zell's handwriting was:

_Will you be my sorceress?_

She looked up and saw that Zell had put the large bouquet, and he was standing nervously before her. Ami walked to him and gave him a big hug.

"Yes," she whispered, and she would have payed money to see the surprised and delighted look on Zell's face again.

-- ** --

!! present !!

"What level? What level?" Selphie asked hyperly, somewhat bouncing next to Irvine.

"8."

"Me too."

"10."

"10? Woooooow! You must've done great, Rei!" Selphie complemented. "And you guys, too! I was only Lv 7 when I started out! Come on! PARRRRRTYYYY!!!"

-- ** --

Ami, Rei and Minako walked into the Quad together. It was decorated quite beautifully, and a few chandeliers that they swore had not been there before were glittering, bouncing light around the room and off each other. Every SeeD in Balamb Garden was in there, mostly in formal clothing. The five who had been inducted that day were dressed in their new SeeD uniforms; it was tradition. Ami spotted Zell, and she left Minako and Rei with a wave to go join him at the table, where a stack of hot-dogs was sitting in front of him.

Rei and Minako giggled. They both knew that Ami was more taken with Zell that she cared to admit. They were glad for it, too. They had wondered when she was going to find something or some_one_ she liked more than studying. Rei was approached by a wiry boy about her own age. He had asked her to dance, and Rei, looking quite flattered, accepted. Minako leaned against the wall and took a drink from the girl that was going around offering them. She was near the doorway, so she could see everyone that came in. Squall entered and looked right in her direction. He gave her a puzzled look, and Minako suddenly felt like she was invading his space. And she was; she didn't know that the spot she was right now was where Squall waited out the party every year.

He took the wall on the opposite side of the entrance, right across Minako. She laughed, and sort of guessed why he had given her that puzzled look. Being directly across from each other, it was hard not to make eye contact, which Squall didn't seem to want to do. Minako sighed and stood up resolutely. She was going to dance with Squall Leonhart. She giggled at first, wondering if he could dance at all. She walked over to him and waved.

He grunted his acknowledgment. Two years had passed, and their relationship hadn't improved. Not one bit.

"Dance with me," Minako said, more of a command than a question.

Squall raised an eyebrow at her. He shook his head.

"Why not? Oh, I get it. You can't dance."

_Well, at least this time the girl hit the problem on the nail,_ Squall thought. Before he knew what was going on, Minako had grabbed his wrist and he was being dragged off to the dancefloor.

When they found a spot, Minako said, "Ok. Just...dance." Minako started to bob her head a little and shake her hips, but Squall just stood there, looking annoyed. Minako stopped. She considered giving up, but she shook her head no to that solution. The song had ended and a slower song was coming on. She smiled and grabbed Squall's hands. She placed on hand her hip and the other on her shoulder, while she put hers in the opposite places on his body. Looking down at her feet, she instructed him on which way to move. Squall obliged, somewhat reluctantly, and he didn't do so bad either, only stepping on her toe once.

They began to move more fluidly now, at a slightly faster pace. The tempo of the music had changed as well. Squall was letting the music get to him, Minako saw. He was looked at her face now, letting his feet move of their own accord. Minako smiled at him.

"I thought you couldn't dance," Minako said, spinning away from him. She spun back around and landed in Squall's arms.

"I never said I couldn't," Squall replied, a bit of a satisfied smirk on his face. True, he really couldn't, but he was doing fine now and decided he wouldn't tell that to Minako. A few more minutes and the dance ended. Minako walked Squall back to his wall near the entry way.

"If I ever ask you to dance again, you won't have an excuse," she claimed. Squall shrugged, and Minako left to go speak with Rei and Ami, who were anxiously waving her over. They were laughing, too, so she expected they had something funny to tell

Squall stayed against his wall, sipping whatever it was that they served every year. He was staring off into space when a familiar voice brought him back to reality.

"Squall," Quistis said, "hello?"

"Oh. Hi," he greeted lamely.

She smiled at him. "I haven't seen you dance like that in a while, it was beautiful. As is the girl you were dancing with."

"Whatever."  
"Whatever."

Quistis giggled. She loved doing that. Quistis knew that of all the thing she could do, doing _that_ would get Squall most annoyed the fastest. He was glaring daggers at her.

"Sorry. It's become a bit of a habit," she laughed. "Well, I better leave you alone, before you bite me...or something. Goodbye Squall." She waved and walked back to her little group of teachers and administrators that she often hung around with. Squall was left to ponder her words. 

_I haven't seen you dance like that in a while_, she had said.He remembered, quite clearly, the day she was talking about. He left the hall for his dorm.

-- ** --

Rei was dancing with the same, wiry boy that had asked her to dance earlier. He was doing terrible, and Rei did her best to help lead him, but she was getting annoyed; her feet were aching from all the times he had stepped on them. They weren't long into a dance when Rei saw Seifer. He tapped the boy on the shoulder and jerked his head, signaling that the boy should leave. Without hesitation, the boy ran off. Seifer put on hand on Rei's hip and the other on her shoulder.

"You're good," Rei complemented.

"Not really, you've just been dancing with an idiot," he replied. Rei laughed in agreement. Seifer spun her around, and she twirled gracefully. "You're not so bad yourself."

"Thank you," she said, "...for everything. I really _couldn't_ have made such a high SeeD rank without you."

Seifer laughed.

"You still look lost," Rei said suddenly.

Seifer asked, "What?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, what?"

He gave her a puzzled look. He shrugged and said, "Nevermind."

The song ended, and Rei left to rejoin Ami and Zell at the table.

-- ** --

Two weeks had past since the SeeD ball, and Minako woke up to the sound of several hands knocking on her door. She could hear Ami shouting for her. Minako rolled off her bed and walked to the door. She opened it up, surprised to see Ami and Rei standing there.

"We've got a mission!" Rei exclaimed. "We're going all the way to Trabia."

"A mission? Now? Today?" Minako asked.

Ami nodded. "Yes, yes, and yes! Hurry, get dressed. We have to meet the rest of our team at the Front Gate."

Minako quickly dressed and groomed herself. She grabbed her daggers and put them in a small travel bag, along with some other things she would need for the trip. She went to Ami and Rei, who were waiting outside. Together, they walked down to the Front Gate. Squall, Zell and Seifer were waiting there.

"Are you going on the Trabia mission?" Ami asked Zell hopefully.

"You bet," Zell replied, smiling.

"Let's go," Squall ordered. He wasn't much of a morning person, apparently.

"Yes, _sir_," Minako said, saluting him sarcastically. "I'm guessing you're squad leader?"

He nodded and took out of Balamb Garden.

"Um...the Parking Lot is...that way," Rei pointed out.

Seifer laughed. "Right. We're gonna drive a car, all the way to Trabia!"

"What else are we going to take?" Rei asked.

-- ** --

Rei, Minako and Ami stood in front of the Ragnarok, looking impressed.

"Wow...This is yours, Squall?" Ami asked. Squall replied yes. He ordered them to get in, and they did so. Minako immediately took of with the girls to explore the plane.

"Hey! Don't touch anything!" Seifer warned. He shook his head. "Why'd Cid assign them? The three of us could handle it- shit, _I_ could handle it." Squall shrugged and got on the elevator to the cockpit. Zell hopped into the pilot's seat. Squall clicked a button on the control panel, the intercom, and he demanded angrily that the girls get back up to the cockpit for lift off. It was twenty minutes before they had returned to the cockpit.

"Sorry," Ami apologized. "We got lost. This is a big ship."

"Whatever. Lets go, Zell. Set the auto pilot for Shumi Village."

"Shumi Village?" Ami said thoughtfully. "I've read a lot about that place. Seems very quiet. I heard it's miles underground."

-- ** --

Seifer was watching Rei sleep in the passenger room. The girls had decided to stay there during the long trip to Trabia, and Rei had fallen asleep. When the plane landed, Seifer came down to get them. Ami refused to let Seifer wake Rei up, so he resolved on staying so he could take her to the hotel when she woke up. She stirred a little. Her eyes opened and she stretched groggily. When she saw him, Seifer put his feet up on the seat in front of him.

"They're checking in at the hotel. Ami wouldn't let me wake you up," Seifer explained. Rei laughed at that.

After a bit more stretching, Rei leaned back in her chair. Seifer watched her hands curl around the arms of her chair. She looked at him suddenly, and her gaze made Seifer uncomfortable.

"You're still lost," she said, "and you still don't know what to do. Will you ever change?"

Seifer sat up. "What?"

"That little boy in you is still confusing you," she said coldly.

Seifer drew back...out of fear? Only one person had ever spoken to him like that. And that person was dead. He had Squall to thank for that. A small voice echoed in his head.

"What happened to your dreams, Seifer?" Rei asked.

He shook his head. "Stop it, Rei."

Rei rubbed her eyes and shook her head. "Whoo...I must be really tired. I was dozing off....Let's go to the hotel, before I crash out again."

Seifer gave Rei a calculating look. He nodded and walked her out of the Ragnarok.

-- ** --

"How many rooms?" Squall asked. Rei and Seifer were just entering. Seifer looked somewhat unnerved. His usually cockiness seemed downed a bit, but Squall dismissed it.

"If they have two beds each, then three," Ami said.

"Are you sure?" Zell said, moving close to Ami with a mischievous grin. "You and I could share a bed..."

Ami giggled, playfully hitting Zell on the arm. "No. Three rooms," she told the little Shumi. Zell snapped his disappointment.

"It was worth a try," he said.

"I'm sorry," the Shumi said, "but we only have two rooms available. Tourists like to visit the Village during summer. The scenery is quite beautiful."

"Ami and I could-"

"No, Zell," Ami said, shooting a pointed look to Zell. He smiled back at her. She melted again.

They stood around for a minute, wondering what do to. Sure, someone could sleep on the floor, but no one wanted to. And there was no way Squall was going to leave the village.

"Oooh! I'll sleep on the Ragnarok!" Minako exclaimed. "The seats in the passenger room recline all the way back. I'm sleeping in the Ragnarok." She rather liked the ship. She hoped that maybe Squall would let her fly it someday...

"No," Squall said flatly.

"Why not?"

"Because you'll destroy it."

"Will not."

"Come on Squall," Seifer urged, "just let her. No one wants to sleep on the floor, and we don't have another choice."

Squall's eyes narrowed. He had a decision before him. There was no way in hell he would leave Minako on board the Ragnarok alone. No friggin' way. He figured he could sleep on the Ragnarok with her, but that would leave Zell and Seifer alone in one room. Chaos. He shook his head.

"Fine. But I'm going with you," Squall said. Minako's face fell.

"What?"

"I'm not leaving you alone in there. Zell, Seifer- don't start _anything_."

"Yes mommy," Seifer drawled, "I promise I won't hurt Chicken Wuss."

"What did you call me?!" Zell exclaimed.

"I called you a Chicken Wuss."

Rei said, "Shut up, Seifer. Don't worry- Ami and I will make sure they don't kill each other."

Squall nodded. He paid for the rooms he wouldn't be staying in. There were spare blankets and pillows inside each of the rooms, so Squall took two pillows and blankets and left Shumi Village with Minako, looking peeved. He should've suggested that they all stay on the Ragnarok- that would be a lot cheaper, and he could keep and eye on Zell and Seifer. He shrugged, figuring that this arrangement was ok. At least Squall had the comfort of knowing that the Ragnarok wouldn't be stolen.

Minako bounded into the ship and straight to the passenger room. She reclined a seat and made her bed with what Squall had given her. It would be a little hard, but a far stretch from the floor. Squall was sitting in his seat, apparently thinking.

"You know, no one has told me what this mission is about. Ami and Rei know, but I don't. Care to brief me?" Minako said. 

Squall nodded. "There are some monsters that the Shumi don't recognize in a snowfield nearby. They've been finding dead Blue Dragons everywhere. It takes a lot to kill a Blue Dragon. We're just supposed to investigate the killings. If we find the monster, we kill it."

"A bit vague, you think?" Minako said. Squall shrugged. "What area are we supposed to investigate?"

"I have a map in the cockpit," Squall said. He waited a moment before getting up and leaving, presumably to get the map for her to look at. Minako was puzzled by his sudden leave. She shrugged and sat in a seat next to her 'bed'. A small bleep from her bag made her jump. She recognized the sound and froze. When she was able to move again, she walked ever so slowly to her bag and pulled out what looked like a compact. It bleeped again.

Her heart was pounding in her chest.

Blood was racing through her body, and she wasn't sure if she could handle the pressure she felt building up in her lungs.

Minako opened her communicator. The resolution was snowy- very, very staticy. But she could just make out the outline of a person- a girl. The coloring on the communicator was a bit off, but brownish blobs moved around. It had to be hair.

It had to be Makoto. 

"........KKKKSSSHHHH....-ello?....KSSSHHHH-ako?......," the communicator buzzed. She couldn't make any of it out.

"Makoto!?" Minako said loudly. "Mako-chan?! Can you hear me?" Suddenly, the communicator bleeped off. There was no one there, and Minako stared at it. Squall entered, and Minako closed it and shoved it back into her bag. Squall gave her a suspicious glance along with a few papers. Maps with areas highlighted in red.

"Dots point out killings," Squall said, "and the red area is where we're going to search."

"It's going to take a while," Minako choked. Her voice was tight, Squall thought she might suddenly burst into tears. But she didn't, and Squall asked if she was ready to go to sleep. With an uncertain, absent minded nod, Minako curled into her bed on the Ragnarok. Squall turned off the lights and climbed into his own bed a few seats away.

_They're still...I can't believe it! They're still looking for us! I didn't even bother to think about how they must have felt when we disappeared. I was so busy feeling sorry for _myself_- two years have gone by; I've nearly forgotten them and my other life. And they're still looking for us. Two years later- they know we're not dead. I hope Makoto was able to see me. I hope to God she and Usagi won't give up on us. There's still a chance we could go back. A very small chance- but I want to be home now_.

She wept.

-- ** --

Squall heard her crying. He stayed very, very still. When he was about to enter the room, he heard Minako shouting a name. He waited for silence before entering, and he found her staring into her makeup compact. He had seen it lying around her dorm before, but he figured that was exactly what it was- a makeup compact. Apparently, it was more. That, or Minako was a schizophrenic. Which was totally possible.

-- ** --

The next morning, Squall woke up to find Minako gone. He looked around for her bag- he was hoping to find the compact and take a look at it. It was squashed beneath her seat, and Squall pulled it out. He realized how sore he was from sleeping in a chair. He popped his neck as he rummaged through her bag- a lot of girl stuff, clothes and- ah! the compact.

He withdrew it from the bag and opened it. A tiny screen with a few strange buttons were inside. It wasn't a makeup compact at all. He tapped a few buttons on it. Nothing happened. Squall pressed another and got a little fuzz, but that was it. He put it back in her bag and decided to ask her about it later.

-- ** --

The girls had all been aloof that morning. The only one who smiled was Ami, and those were only rare occasions when Zell attempted to make her laugh. They were trekking around in the freezing cold. And to believe it was summer in Trabia! They hadn't seen anything for miles, and they were just about done with the portion of the snowfield they had chosen to scout out that day. They were walking a little when 'it' happened.

Minako stopped suddenly. She shook her head violently and hugged herself.

"Ouch! It's hot! It burns!" she shouted.

"Not again...." Seifer muttered. He was convinced she was doing it to get attention.

Minako slumped to the ground. Ami and Rei ran to her, followed by Squall and Zell.

"What's the matter?!" Rei asked.

Minako shook her head. "I don't know...I feel so weak...My vitality has just gone...The burning is gone, but I feel so...so weak." Ami grabbed Minako's hand and pulled her up.

"It's better...I'm better...When you touched me- I felt better. What's happening to me?!" she exclaimed.

"Hey guys, we got company!" Zell said. He was pointing to a Gayla that was coming at them.

Seifer groaned, as did Squall. They had been walking all day, and they certainly weren't in the mood to fight off a Gayla. Squall lunged forward with Lion Heart and stabbed at the Gayla. It fell back a few feet, but it regained its bearings and made a strange noise. The Gayla seemed like it was concentrating, and suddenly, without warning, a huge beam of fire made its way at Squall. Squall slumped a little, but Seifer and Zell were attacking the Gayla. Squall charged at it again, slashing at it with all his might. Another attack from Seifer, and the Gayla was dead. Zell searched the body and withdrew 2 Mystery Fluids. Squall however, was staring at Minako hard.

"What?" she asked finally, growing uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Has this ever happened to you before?" he asked.

Minako nodded. "In the Training Center, with Seifer. My skin- it went leathery and hard...it was gross. I was scaly. I didn't have time to think about it though, because a T-Rexaur attacked us."

Squall was nodding. He said, "That's it then. You're like a human Scan spell."

"What?"

"The burning, your vitality disappeared, it was Meltdown."

"What are you talking about?" Minako asked.

"Yeah, what are you getting at?" Seifer asked, considering Squall's words.

"What you felt just now- the way you described it is exactly how Meltdown feels. It burns, and it sucks your vitality out of you. In the Training Center- your skin changed into something hard leathery. Like a T-Rexaur."

Minako questioned this in her mind. "Umm...No, I don't think so."

Ami suddenly stepped beside Minako. "Remember the day we came here," she whispered quietly, "you were getting hot. You were burning up, like you had a terrible fever. The spider thing was fire elemental. Mina-chan- he's right!"

"So I'm a freak of nature?" Minako asked. Rei laugh aloud at this, as well as Ami.

Squall looked at her, like he was sizing her up. "You're going to be very useful."

Minako scowled. _He thinks of me as a tool. An ability. What a jerk._ She scowled a lot more and insisted they continue with their mission.

-- ** --

Minako still didn't believe what Squall had said. She was able to sense enemies? No way. She had gotten into an argument with Squall when they arrived at the Ragnarok for that night.

"Then explain what you felt at the Training Center and today," Squall said. "Tell me what they were."

"I don't know. But there's no way I can sense enemies. I'm not that gifted."

"Yes, you obviously are."

Minako stopped. "Should I take that as a complement?"

"Take it how ever you want."

"Thank you."

"For what?" Squall asked.

"The complement," Minako said, smiling. Squall rolled his eyes. There she was, trying to get at him again.

"Whatever."

"I hate it when you say that."

Squall leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. A ghost of a smirk lingered on his face.

"Whatever," he said. Minako heard the slight laughter in his voice. There he was, trying to get at her again.

"You say 'whatever' just to annoy me, don't you?" Minako asked.

Squall turned and looked at her. He replied, "You ask questions just to annoy me, don't you?"

"I just want to know more about you."

"Why?"

"Huh?" Minako said.

"Why? What's so utterly interesting about me that you just _have_ to ask so many questions?"

Minako paused. She didn't know. She decided on saying, "Nothing, that's just it. See, unlike you, I give people a _chance_. I know there are a few good things in every person. I'm still trying to find yours."

"What if there are no good things about me?" Squall asked. He was trying to corner her. "What if I'm just an all around bad person?"

"I'm beginning to think you are," Minako said. She smiled at him. "But you know what they say, innocent until proven guilty. An angel until proven a jerk. You're not doing much for yourself. Anyway, I know that you have at least a couple good qualities."

Squall laughed, "Oh really? And what are they?"

"You're a great dancer, and you're quite cute," Minako answered. Squall laughed some more. It was genuine, and Minako savored the sound of it. It was so rare that Squall ever laughed. It was such a rich and hearty noise, and she rather liked it. "You should laugh more often," she told him. She got up and turned the lights off. As she climbed into chair-bed, she said, "It's a rather nice sound."

-- ** --

Squall stared up at the ceiling of the Ragnarok. His smirked to himself in the darkness. He found it highly amusing that Minako thought he was a looker. He remembered the day he had started teaching Minako how to use the gunblade. He had wrapped his arms around her, and Minako had blushed. He liked the fact that she was physically attracted to him, it would be a lie for him to say he didn't find Minako gorgeous. He rolled over onto his side, and for one brief moment, he forgot he had vowed never to fall in love again. Needless to say, it came back to him, and that cool exterior he had shed for a moment returned to him also. 

Sleep came with dreams for Squall.

-- *_ZZzzZzZZzzzZZZ_*--

_Squall wasn't a lion this time- he was himself. He looked up and remembered the setting. He had been calling out for her- for anyone. A small feather fell from the sky. Squall's palm opened and he caught it. The edges of it were pink. He sat up, waiting for Rinoa to show up. Half of him told himself he was only in a dream. But he didn't care- he just wanted to see Rinoa. A small figure appeared in the distance. He walked over to it, sure it was Rinoa. And it was her. She smiled at him- that smile he loved to see, where she smiled with her eyes. He ran forward to embrace her, but she shook her head, a sad, sad smile suddenly gracing her feature._

_"One day, you have to forget," she said._

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
| **** End of Chapter 7 ****|  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**

**If you liked it, please review!**


	9. Running Away

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
****All You Wanted  
****(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**

(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
( _Please can you tell me, _)  
( _So I can finally see, _)  
( _Where you go when you're gone. _)  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)

_TO ALL READERS Sorry for not updating in a while! I went on a trip to Garner State Park in Concan, Texas. I had meant to post up to chapter 9, but I ended up getting into an argument with my mother the day before we left and I didn't get a chance to. Sorry! Well, here they are, 8, 9 and 10's coming up soon! _

Warning: Fluff.

_-- *_Chapter 8: Running Away* --

"I wanted to be home so badly. You gave me a glimmer of hope."

"Did I?"

"Yes. I was positive that if anyone could take me back, it would be you. But...I wasn't sure anymore."

"Sure of what?"

"Anything."

-- ** --

Squall woke up. He looked around, and he saw that Minako was still asleep. He looked out the windows of the Ragnarok. It must've been extremely early or he hadn't slept for very long, because it was still dark and stars were still in the sky. He didn't want to wake Minako- she was a very crabby girl at times, and he was sure she would start an argument over some trivial thing. Their relationship was like that. They had such a huge problem with each other. Minako was too bouncy and bubbly for Squall's taste; Squall was too quiet and serious for Minako's.

His eyes raked her small form as it was sprawled over the chair. She sniffed in her sleep. Minako was pretty, very pretty, Squall noticed. When she was asleep, she wasn't so bad, he thought. He smirked, still staring at her.

"I can feel you looking at me," a groggy voice said. Squall nearly flinched, but he stayed perfectly still. Minako moved and stretched. "I had the strangest dream...Why are you awake?"

Squall shrugged. "Can't sleep."

"Yeah. It's kind of hard. These seats aren't that comfy to sleep in..." Minako yawned loudly. She pressed a button on the side of the seat and the back moved forward. They sat in silence.

A bleep.

Minako froze. Her communicator. Squall was bound to hear it. The Ragnarok was absolutely silent- except for the bleep.

She had a huge decision to make. She could go to the bag and take out the communicator, on the off chance she would be able to speak to Usagi or Makoto again. Squall would ask questions she would be forced to answer. Another bleep.

"What's that noise?" Squall asked, sitting up.

Or Minako could ignore it. She wouldn't be able to speak to Usagi or Minako. Squall would track the bleep to her bag and still ask questions. Usagi and Makoto might give up on her.

"I-I-I d-don't know," Minako stammered. She reached for her bag. Squall had a feeling she would take out her compact.

"It's coming from your bag," he pointed out. "What's in there, Minako?"

"C-could you leave for a second?" Minako asked stupidly. Squall gave her a rather pointed glare. "O...kay...close your eyes maybe?" He was glaring daggers at her now. "Please?"

Squall stood perfectly still. Minako didn't pull it out of her bag. She kept her communicator as covered as she could, but she flipped it open. Squall saw the light project onto her face. He heard a lot of static. He got up and walked over to her and looked to see what was in her bag. The compact was on, and the screen was covered in static. He could make out a face, just barely. It seemed to be trying to say something. A tear fell onto compact, and Minako hastily wiped it away.

"Makoto? Usagi?" she said. "Can you hear me? I'm ok! Rei and Ami are fine! Can you hear me? Don't give up on us! We're alive, just don't give up on us yet!" With a buzz, the communicator clicked off- the static and everything was replaced by a blank screen. She closed it and put it back in her bag.

There was a very long and awkward silence. Minako thought that maybe Squall wouldn't ask questions after all.

"What the hell was that?" Squall asked, abruptly breaking the silence.

Minako didn't move.

"Minako- answer me," he said. He got in front of her, and crouched down so he was even with her knees. He was looking up at her and he asked again, "Tell me what's going on."

Minako looked like she was crying. He couldn't tell in the darkness, but he thought he saw a tear falling down her face. She looked down at him, a sad expression on her face. She shook her head.

"Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand. It's got nothing to do with you anyway- why do you care?"

Squall looked slapped. Why did he care? Minako saw a look she had never seen pass his face. She cleared away a tear and shifted her weight. Squall looked away for a minute, and then back at Minako.

"If you're in danger- I'm Commander of Balamb Garden. Part of my job is to make sure students and SeeDs are safe."

Minako rolled her eyes. "And that's all I am. For a second, I thought you cared. But I was wrong, it's just your job. Do you think about anything else? What happened to you? You couldn't have always been this way..."

Squall stood up and turned away from her. "What was in that compact?"

"Don't try to change the subject-"

"Don't you try to change the subject. Answer me. What was in that compact?" Squall turned to face her now, a stern look in his face.

"What are you hiding?" she asked.

Squall stared at her hard for a long time. He said, "What am I hiding?! I think you've got a helluva lot more to explain than I do! You say your lost your memory- but I don't believe one fucking word of that! Not one fucking word, because you're a terrible liar. Your eyes betray you every time."

"Everytime...," Minako began calmly, "...every time I annoy you, you get so angry- and for a moment or two, you forget you're hiding something. I look at you and I make you hopping mad, and you drop your shield and let your emotions show. And I think that I've got you cornered, that I'm about to discover you- and you turn back into a cold asshole again. I'm looking at you, and I'm about to see what's inside of you, and you cover yourself up at the last scond. Why?"

He fingered his scar. "I can't believe you're turning this around on me. You have a lot of nerve, woman. If you don't start answering some things, I'll go to Ami or Rei. I'm sure I could talk it out of one of them."

"Then why haven't you?"

Because I want you to tell me the truth. I want you to trust me that much.

"Because you're right here."

"Right here. Right in front of you. Look at me, Squall," Minako ordered. Squall looked up at her. Her eyes were wet with a few tears. Light reflected in them, but they seemed to be penetrating him. Was she doing it again? Was she seeing through him?

"What?" Squall asked angrily. "What the heck do you want?" He was ticked off, frustrated.

Minako got up and straightened out her shirt. She went right up to Squall and stared him down. Her eyes met his, they were flaring with anger. She knew his eyes well- they were a window into him, a great big one. She didn't think he knew it, but his eyes betrayed him as much as hers did her. Minako could see. He was angry, confused, and terribly curious. She could understand why. For a moment, she considered telling him everything. She didn't see what trouble it would cause...none at all. He might even help her get back home.

Maybe that was the problem?

She had adapted to Balamb, to Gaea. Every now and then, she caught herself saying, "Thank Hyne!" instead of "Thank God!" She was...she was forgetting. Minako felt guilty all of a sudden.

-- ** --

How come I am so damn transparent to her? And why is she staring at me like that? Like she's trying to mentally rip my head off for a look at my brain. She's staring at me, and she's seeing through me and I can't fucking stand that!

He looked down at her, still. His fists were curling beside him. Squall mentally cursed himself- he could look away, but he would lose this little staring game Minako had initiated, and he was too proud for that. Her lip was starting to quiver, and Squall thought she might start to cry. Not again... He didn't want her to cry- he hated it when anyone cried. It was stupid, pointless and a big waste of time. His fists were so tight he thought he might explode with anger at any instant.

This girl, how she was infuriating him!

"Do you ever give up?!" Squall shouted suddenly.

Minako replied coldy, "No. I can be just a relentless as you, Squall Leonhart."

"Relentless....."

Before he knew what he was doing, Squall's eyes were closed. He was leaning over her, his lips ready to meet hers for a kiss. They came down softly onto Minako's full lips. Minako gasped, and Squall's tongue pushed past her teeth. His fists uncurled, and he unleashed his pent up energy on Minako. Minako's head was swimming, and she was stiff at first. She gradually loosened up, and her hand found its way to Squall's hip. His tongue explored her mouth, setting her on fire. His own blood seemed like it was liquid heat at the moment.

This girl, how she was delighting him!

It hit him like a bus, the realization of exactly what he was doing. Squall pulled away from her and turned his back to her angrily.

"That shouldn't have happened," Squall said.

-- ** --

Minako collapsed in a chair. He was mad again. She almost had him, and he did it again. He covered himself up and became cold. Minako thought she was about to understand him, and she lost him at the last second. She took a deep breath.

"You did it again."

"Did what?" Squall asked peevishly.

"You were kissing me, you were letting me in- and you ran again. Why? What's so terrifying about people?"

Squall sat in a chair. He put his head in his hand, like he did whenever he was in thought.

"What happened to her?" Minako asked quietly. "Selphie told me you had a girlfriend. Rinoa. What happened to her?"

Squall waited a long time before answering very slowly, "She was sent on a mission with Selphie, Zell and Seifer. Monsters were getting close to Balamb- they were supposed to kill them off. I shouldn't have let her go. She had only been a SeeD for few weeks. I didn't want her to go, but she insisted she would be fine. She hated it when I was overprotective. A group of T-Rexaurs had taken over the creature space near Balamb, pushing the other creatures nearer to the city. She was back attacked. Selphie and Zell were busy with another one, and Seifer couldn't handle it on his own. It got her, and he tried to save her, but the thing nearly killed Seifer too."

"He thinks it's his fault," Minako said.

Squall nodded.

"When Rei was Poisoned- she had an allergic reaction to Gastric Juice- Seifer thought it was his fault, too. That guy's got a big burden on his shoulders, huh?"

"More than you know."

"So how does this explain your problem of not getting close to people?"

"Everyone I've ever loved has been taken away from me," Squall replied bitterly. "Everyone. Ellone. Rinoa. I didn't even get to know my parents! And when you're a SeeD like I am, killing is everywhere, a constant reminder that one day, someone won't come back! You're going to call out, and they won't answer! Love? Family? It's all so-" He was sitting on the edge of his seat, looking beyond angry and sad. Minako wanted for him stop. She wanted him to laugh, to forget.

"Squall?"

"What...?!"

"I found another good thing about you."

"I'm not in the mood for your-"

"You're a great kisser," Minako interjected, smiling. "Now go to sleep. And if you...need me- just call me. I'll answer you. I promise."

-- ** --

Minako turned off the lights and went to sleep without another word. Squall was sitting in darkness. His fists kept curling up to the point of pain. He was angry and he was mad and he was so damn fed up with everything- life, Minako, missions, Minako, sleeping in the Ragnarok and Minako. He wanted to scream, he wanted to let out everything.

He sighed.

Squall leaned back in his chair and tried to calm himself. It sort of worked- he still wanted to break something, but his blood had slowed down and that pounding in his temples has disipated. He was still sitting up, so he reclined his chair and tried to fall asleep. It didn't come easily, but he ended up drifting off, having pointless dreams that he didn't remember in the morning.

-- ** --

The next morning, Minako was gone again. Squall figured she had gone early to tell Rei and Ami about her compact. He cursed himself aloud. He had meant to get some answers from her, and instead he got none. In fact, he ended up kissing her. Squall left the Ragnarok somewhat angrily. He stormed back to Shumi Village, to find his team waiting just outside. Ami threw him an uncertain look, while Rei glared. Minako, however, acted like she hadn't seen him. Zell and Seifer were bickering about someone snoring, but they stopped when Squall came into view.

"We ready?" Squall asked peevishly. A few groggy nods. "Let's go then."

He led them back to the Ragnarok and flew them to a snowfield. They got off and stretched a little and work started. It was unending boringness. Their mission was to walk, pretty much.

"If I don't lose twenty pounds on this mission," Rei commented, "then it's impossible."

"What's that?" Minako asked, squinting. She pointed to a reddish blob in the far distance. The wind was kicking up snow, so it was hard to see. "Over there."

Ami flipped on her visor. She looked around. She spotted something and the visor beeped. She said, "I don't know. My visor is only picking up snow. There are bits of heat in between, so there's definitely something there- but I can't tell you anything else." She put it up and squinted. Minako closed her eyes. Her ears, then her face, then her arms and the rest of her body felt like they were on fire. It was burning like nothing she had every felt before. When the burning subsided, she didn't feel as weak as she had when she had sensed Meltdown- but the burning- oh the burning had been painful.

"That was hot! That was really, really hot," she said. "It has to be Fire elemental."

"This is Trabia, Minako," Seifer snorted. He lifted his gunblade and aimed it in the direction of the red thing. He fired the gun. A second later, a creature roard. Something big was emerging from the snow. And were they ever surprised when they saw a Ruby Dragon.

"Hey!" Zell exclaimed when he saw it, "That's a Ruby Dragon!"

"No shit, Chicken Wuss. But what's it doing here?" Seifer said. "This is Trabia."

Squall shrugged. He remembered a time when Ellone had taken him into the past as Laguna. He fought off a Ruby Dragon in Trabia Canyon. That was a little while from here, but maybe it had come from there. He told the girls to stand back. Rei snorted. She had been using a Ruby Dragon for quite some time, and she was rather comfortable with hers. Other Ruby Dragons couldn't be too much different.

It was running at them, and Squall summoned Doomtrain. It attacked the dragon, causing it to stop. It was about to hit them with an attack when Zell and Seifer cast Blizzaga on it one after the other. The Ruby Dragon roared. Ami was looking at it through her visor, a puzzled frown on her face.

"It's weak against Ice magic...it's very high level, so watch out," Ami called as Seifer charged at the animal with a fury. Zell popped his neck and ran right up to the Ruby Dragon, delivering a hard punch to his jaw. Ami cringed. Zell is so powerful, thank Hyne-

Ami stopped thinking, her eyes downcast.

She had done it again.

She had said, 'Thank Hyne.' Rei noticed the downed expression on Ami's face and gave her a puzzled look. Ami shook her head and inhaled deeply.

Minako had told them about her communicator, how she had seen Makoto. A twinge of guilt nagged at her stomach, but she looked up into the battle. The Ruby Dragon looked ticked off, the guys were really doing a number on it. She watched as Squall cast something on it, and Zell gave it another good smack. Seifer cast Blizzaga, and the Ruby Dragon seemed to hiss at him. The dragon's head fell low to the ground, but it wasn't dead yet. Suddenly, a black wave of energy exploded from the Ruby Dragon. A black little abyss seemed to form in the center of the three fighters. 

Ami's mind exploded. Her heart was pounding so loudly she heard it in her ears. She blinked her eyes, because she hadn't done that and her eyes were beginning to burn. She looked to Rei and Minako, who were also standing, staring and wide eyed. Ami hadn't hallucinated- she had really seen it.

Two years ago, they were attacked by an unknown monster.

That is what it attacked them with. When they first arrived at Balamb Garden, Ami and the girls had spent a lot of their free time looking up powerful Time spells that could cast them back home. They were never able to reproduce that exact spell- Demi was the closest they ever got, and that only hurt. Rei had even pestered Seifer, asking him what the most powerful magic spell she could cast was. All he came up with was Demi.

When the attack was over, all the of the boys looked significantly hurt. Zell unleashed a limit break. Squall and Seifer were talking, concerned and somewhat puzzled expressions on their faces. Rei was shaking her head.

"Ruby Dragons can't cast that. Th-they've got Demi, sometimes," Rei muttered disbelieving, "but they don't have that. What is that attack? It could throw them into another time!"

But it didn't, the boys were still perfectly whole. Minako grimly reflected on the horrible experience of watching two of your closest friends dissolve into nothing. Squall finished it off, and the three cured themselves until they were in considerably better shape. Seifer and Squall were still talking furiously about something, and Zell had joined in on the conversation, until he noticed the entranced looks on the girls' faces. He tapped the guys and gestured to the girls.

Rei shook out of her trance first, asking, "Wh-what was that?"

"Gravija," Seifer replied grimly. "It was Gravija- but I don't know how."

"Y-you don't know how? What's that supposed to mean?" Minako asked, walking to the guys, Rei and Ami behind her.

"It means," Seifer replied meanly, "that Ruby Dragons can't normally cast Gravija- it's a specialized attack. Ruby Dragons can't- they just don't attack with something that powerful."

"Yeah. You think that's what's been killin' all the Blue Dragons?" Zell asked, scratching the back of his head.

Squall shook his head. "I think that could be it- but even with Gravija, a Blue Dragon would still do a significant amount of damage to a Ruby Dragon. Might not kill it, but it would damage it. The Ruby Dragon wouldn't be able to kill off so many....it doesn't make sense."

"B-but how did the Ruby Dragon get Gravija? Can any of you cast it?" Ami asked hopefully.

Zell eyed her curiously, but Seifer answered, "No. It's extremely Forbidden-Time magic. Only high-level creatures can use it."

"So you don't know anyone who could probably cast it?" Rei questioned.

Squall and Zell shook their heads, but Seifer asked, "Why do you want this spell so much?"

Zell and Squall seemed to have just noticed their eagerness for it, and now they were suspicious, too. Zell was still eyeing Ami- she looked sad and confused. He had a feeling that Gravija was somehow related to her sudden 'memory loss'. He waited patiently, but the girls said nothing. In fact, Minako changed the subject.

"If it wasn't the Ruby Dragon, then what is it that's killing off all the Blue Dragons?" Minako asked thoughtfully.

Ami and Rei seemed suddenly interested in the mission again, too. Ami said, "What other powerful creatures lurk around in Trabia?"

Rei shrugged. "Show Lions...? Blue Dragons, but they don't count. Umm..."

Seifer crossed his arms and gave Rei a rather pointed look.

"What?" Rei asked innocently.

Seifer shook his head and suggested they start moving again. Ami and Zell walked off, following Seifer and Rei. Minako started to go, but Squall grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"What was that about?" he asked.

Minako shook her head. "Nothing. Nothing you would understand. We're going to lose them- let's go." She jerked her arm away and ran off to join Zell and Ami. Squall stared after her a while before jogging off to his team.

Home, Rei thought, As if the world weren't confusing enough already...

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
| **** End of Chapter 8 ****|  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**

**If you liked it, please review!**


	10. What Have I Done

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
****All You Wanted  
****(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**

(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
( _If you want to, _)  
( _I can save you, _)  
( _I can take you away from here. _)  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)

_-- *_Chapter 9: What Have I Done* --

"The Trabia mission was a bit rocky, but when we got back- that was when the real hell broke loose."

"I remember, a bit more clearly than I wish I did."

-- ** --

Squall and Minako woke early to the noise of rain. Squall muttered something about paint jobs and walked into the cockpit. He had been nice enough to not ask anything about the day before, but Minako suspected he knew he wouldn't get anything anyway. A strange feeling fell over Minako, and she shuddered. Squall returned to the passenger room, where Minako was rummaging through her stuff.

"We're going home," he said.

"What?" Minako asked, for a second unsure of what he was saying. "What happened?"

"Shumi Village suspended their contract with Garden. I think Zell and Seifer were kicking up a fuss," Squall figured, a little peeved. "Go get the rest of the squad. I'll start the Ragnarok up."

Minako stuck her tongue out at him. "That's right. Make the woman go out for a walk in the rain. Yes, o' divine Commander." Squall ignored her; he had gotten good at that. Minako scowled at his silent response. She shrugged and left the Ragnarok, taking the blankets and pillows they had borrowed.

In her absence, Squall started up the Ragnarok. He considered having another look at that compact of hers, but he decided against it. He knew Minako would go into quite a fit if she caught him looking through her things. He waited in the cockpit, drumming his fingers and thinking about a few things. Ten minutes later, Squall heard Seifer, Zell, Rei, Ami and Minako come aboard the Ragnarok. He got over the intercom and warned them not to drip water over everything. Seifer replied with something that sounded a lot like, "Yes mommy..."

A little while later, the rest of Squall's squad came to the cockpit looking damp and gloomy. Zell hopped into the pilot's seat and flew the thing away from Shumi Village.

The ride back home seemed short, but it was pretty quiet. The girls stayed in the passenger room the whole trip, discussing home and Tokyo- I mean, home and Balamb Garden.

-- ** --

!! two days later !!

After arriving home, Squall gave the traditional mission report, but it was a bit empty, since the mission consisted mostly of walking in never ending snow. He did include the bit about the Ruby Dragon carrying Gravija, and at this, Cid showed a bit of concern. However, he dismissed Squall, giving the whole squad a 'job well done'.

Presently, the girls were in the Library, looking up information on Gravija. They found out that it was sort of an extremely beefed up version of Demi. That would explain why the Ruby Dragon had it. Ami had said it was very high level, so perhaps Demi was just refined? Maybe not, it was a bit farfetched, but it would explain some things. Minako yawned loudly. They had been going at it forever, it seemed. They had found a small list of people and creatures who could cast it, but they were all dead, in prison, captured or missing.

Ami looked at her watch. "Oh! It's almost time for class. We better get going, or else we'll just barely make it."

"Why don't they have bells at Balamb Garden?" Minako quizzed, closing a book. "Two years and I haven't gotten used to it. I'm forever late to all my classes..."

"Watches work just fine, you know," Ami said, putting a few books back into their shelves. "Do you think we'll ever get back home?"

Rei shrugged and Minako sighed. "No..." Rei replied grimly. "I'm really starting to think we're stuck here. It's not so bad, but...I miss my grandfather. I'm sure he was worried...It's hard thinking they might have already buried me..."

Minako shook her head. "Usagi and Makoto haven't given up. I'm sure they were able to see me on the communicator that day, at least hear some of what I was saying. They'll keep trying to find us."

Ami nodded, looking at her watch again. "Let's go."

-- ** --

Rei couldn't sleep again. Since the mission had started- no, before that, since she had become a SeeD, Rei started having trouble sleeping. She didn't really know why, but she guessed it was just stress. Now she was staring up at the ceiling. It was white, with two dark greenish spots from who knows what near the window. Yes, that's exactly how long she had been staring. Rei had tried everything- counting sheep and spots on the wall, thinking of dreams she used to have- everything, but she still found herself utterly awake. When she couldn't take the dullness of it all, she got off her bed and paced for a while. That quickly lost Rei's interest, so she decided on going where she went when she couldn't sleep.

The Training Center had become as familiar to Rei as her dorm had. She spent an awful lot of time there, despite her problems with curative magic. You see, Rei wasn't ever helped by Cure magic, it made her feel sick and whoozy and she just didn't like it, so she mostly slept off her aches and pains. Sometimes it was a bit of a nuisance whenever she got a major injury, but Rei was normally able to sleep her pains out and they would eventually heal themselves. She dressed herself, picked up her trusty bow and left her dorm, careful not to wake Minako.

She was walking down the main hall when a shadow attracted her attention. It was going in the direction of the Library, but it had disappeared down the bend. She shrugged, deciding it was one of those damn staff members. She would never get used to them- they swept around the halls, telling students off depending on their moods. And they had the students numbered! Rei couldn't even remember her own ID...Her sleeping problem was beginning to move its way into her daily life, too. She had been scolded several times for falling asleep in class. It seemed like she was always tired except for when she was supposed to be.

Walking cautiously into the Training Center, Rei loaded her bow with an arrow. She learned quickly that the monsters were a bit more on edge at night. She stepped over the small, steel bridge, examining the rust with bored interest. Nothing had attacked her so far, so she decided to go a bit deeper into the Training Center. She normally didn't if there were enough creatures to wear her out in the beginning; T-Rexaurs still lurked in the darker, deeper parts of the Training Center. A bush nearby moved, and she was about to shoot when her memory returned to her. Seifer. It was his spot. She had forgotten. Rei wondered if he had been there the other nights she had come to the Training Center- she certainly hadn't seen him.

He came out of the bush, his foot got caught on something and he jerked it away. He brushed a few twigs off his trench and said, "Hey. What're you doing up?"

Rei shrugged. "Can't sleep. You, too?"

"Eh, you could say that." He sniffed. "Not much out tonight. There hasn't been for a while. Somethin's out there."

Rei arched an eyebrow. "Like what?"

Seifer shrugged. He ran his hand through his hair. "What's the matter?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Why?"

"Yeah, I'll bet," Seifer said, a little more forcefully than he meant to. "You've been coming here almost every night since the mission ended. Even before that. Somethin's bothering you. What?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I've just been oversleeping a lot lately, and I haven't been sleeping at night."

"No, because then you wouldn't be falling asleep in class."

"Ok. So I'm having a bit of a sleeping problem," Rei shot back defensively, "but lots of people have sleeping problems. What's your problem, huh? You're always here."

"That's-"

"None of your business," Rei snapped. "Look, Seifer, I appreciate your concern, I really do....but...there's nothing wrong with me. I'm perfectly fine. I always have been. You should know that- I mean, you've always protected me. You're like the older brother I never had. Always there, making sure no one looks twice at me, and if someone does, he gets shot. Or sliced, whatever you're feeling like at the moment."

"That's not true," Seifer said, crossing his arms and looking at her.

"Uh, yeah it is. But don't take it the wrong way- I love having you around," Rei said. She smiled at Seifer.

"Maybe I'm a little...protective. But admit it- you would've killed yourself on accident if I hadn't have been there to save your ass," Seifer protested, a cocky grin gracing his lips.

Rei laughed, "Whatever you say, Seifer."

"Exactly! Whatever I say. Bend over, sweetie."

"Seifer, you're such an ass," Rei snorted, throwing Seifer a playful glare. Seifer laughed. "I've got to train. So if you don't mind..."

"Whatever. If you get yourself into trouble- which you have a habit of doing- I'll be over there," he said, jerking his head in the direction of his bush.

Seifer turned around, his white trenchcoat swaying dramatically. He was walking back slowly, carefully guessing at what could be bothering Rei. He was sure there was a reason for her sudden nocturnal habits, and he was determined to find out what. What she had said was true- Seifer had always been there protecting her. He guessed his childhood dream of becoming a knight still lingered inside his subconscious somewhere. But why the heck is she-

"Seifer!" she shouted. He turned around almost instantly. She was standing in the same spot she had been, but Rei was holding up her loaded bow and it was aimed at him.

"What-" Seifer started, but Rei let go of the arrow and it fired at him. It hit him in the center of his chest, and Seifer was at a sudden loss for breath. He tried to inhale, but every time he did, stabs of horrible pain registered in brain. He doubled back, nearly blinded by pain. Rei walked to him, an angry flare in her eyes. She grabbed the arrow and wrenched it out of his chest, not caring whether she hurt him or not. He fell onto his back.

"Fuck," Seifer hissed. He was clutching the bloody spot on his chest. "Fuck, fuck! Damn it Rei, what the FUCK was that for?"

Rei sat down on top of Seifer and put one hand on his forehead, forcing his head down. "What was that for? What was THAT FOR?! Let me tell you what it was for, Seifer. It was for four years of wandering around without any sort of power of my own. I lived four miserable years as a goddamn parasite! These entirely helpless people housed me in their bodies just so I would give them dreams. That's what so funny, Seifer. There are more like you- more that are hungry, starving for the dreams they lost when they turned into adults. But you-! You are the most pathetic- patheTIC- PATHETIC- PATHETIK- pathetik person I know. Kouldn't defeat that poor exkuse for a SeeD-"

"Stop it!" Seifer exclaimed. His chest was still aching, but Rei's words were doing an unimaginable amount of damage on their own. "Rei- WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

"She was gone a long time ago, Seifer," Rei said. "The minute she passed over into this time, I had her. And now I've got you, and I"m going to kill you. You sad, konfused little boy..."

Seifer closed his eyes, not wanting to see what he was about to do. He lifted a fist and smacked Rei in the jaw. The sheer force of the blow made her dizzy, and her hands gripped her jaw. Seifer was able to sit up and push Rei off of him. She looked at him, utter hate and anger in his eyes. For a second he lost his bearings- Rei hated him. He clutched his burning chest again and cast a Curaga on himself quickly. As the warm, fluid feeling washed over him, he had an idea.

"Esuna!" he called, hand tossed in the direction of Rei.

"What are you...ohhh..." Rei started. Then she started laughing again. Seifer went over to her and grabbed her to hold her up. She was smiling and laughing. Her hands were beginning to roam over Seifer's chest, and that devilish smile Seifer so loved seeing was on her face again. He moved her bangs out of her face, and suddenly she stopped laughing. A look of pure terror was on her face, and she moved away from Seifer.

"I-I-I hurt you," she cried, head shaking, "I saw it all with my eyes. I c-couldn't c-control myself. I was scr-screaming for her to stop b-but I c-couldn't. I-I felt hate f-for you. I w-was going to k-kill you." As Seifer tried to step toward her, Rei stepped back. "No! Don't come near me. I'll attack you again, and what if I can't stop myself? I- I don't want to kill you. I don't want you to leave me...Wh-what have I done?" At this, Rei broke down into tears. She fell to her knees, sobbing.

"I want to go home," she muttered through tears.

-- ** --

Ami was asleep, but a beeping noise woke her up. She jumped awake, and she almost went back to sleep, figuring that her watch was doing something....

But it beeped again.

And that's when she recognized it. Her heart was pounding as she went to her drawer and pulled out her communicator. It was beeping alright. She flipped it open, and a fuzzy, almost completely white screen greeted her. Just like Minako said, though, it was very fuzzy and she could only make out vague shapes. Toward the top of the screen were two yellowish-whitish blobs and Ami knew exactly what they were. Odangoes.

"Usagi!" she exclaimed, a little more loudly than she had meant to. "It's Ami! It's me, Ami! Can you hear me at all?"

Then, the fuzz cleared up. The resolution was suddenly crystal clear. Sailor Moon's distressed face came over the screen.

"Sailor Mercury? Sailor Mars? Sailor Venus?!" she cried. "We need you- wherever you are, Jupiter and I need you. Tokyo is going to-"

A huge explosion occured behind Sailor Moon. The communicator dropped, but Ami saw a gigantic spider crawl out from behind a building. She recognized it as the one that had sent her, Rei and Minako into this time. Tears were beginning to flow down Ami's cheeks.

My home...my home needs me, and I'm not there...I can't be there...She watched what was happening in the communicator like it was a horror movie. There were screams- she heard Sailor Moon's clearly. Ami shook her head, shutting the communicator. She didn't want to see more. She was frightened, and she hugged herself. There was a knock at the dorm door. She opened it. Minako was standing there, her cheeks were tear stained. She was holding her communicator in her hand, and light projected onto her face.

"Did you see it, too?" Ami asked, her voice tight.

Minako nodded. "They were...they can't handle it on their own, Ami," Minako said weakly. "They need us..."

"Rei?" Ami asked.

Just then, sobbing down the hall caught their attention. Seifer was walking Rei down the hall. She was crying in his arms, beating on his chest every now and then.

Minako turned angry. She had never liked Seifer, and he had never liked her. "What did you do to her?" she asked coldly.

Rei answered, "Nothing...he didn't do anything. I-I need help. I'm- I'm a schizo- or something. I d-don't know-"

Ami and Minako ran to Rei, and they pried her off of Seifer. Minako walked her back to her dorm while Ami asked several questions of Seifer. He nervously explained all that happened.

"She was talking to me like- like Ultimecia did," Seifer said. Ami saw him shudder.

"So it's true then?" she said.

"What?"

"You are the infamous Sorceress Knight," she said. "I thought it was you, but I wasn't certain. The pictures- you did- you did terrible things."

"You think I don't know that?!" Seifer exploded. "You think I haven't lived with that on my shoulders my entire life?! Don't give me that crap- I have spent every waking moment of my life trying to pay for the things I did, anything to make people stop looking at me like they're afraid of me! To forget the damn Knight..."

Ami winced. She inhaled deeply, and then said slowly, "Can you help her?"

Seifer shook his head. "I-I don't know. Headmaster Cid might know something...I don't know..."

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
| **** End of Chapter 9 ****|  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**

**I'm considering a sequel....I'm not sure though, so...tell me in a review, will ya?**


	11. Remembering Home

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
****All You Wanted  
****(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**

(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
( _So lonely inside, _)  
( _So busy out there, _)  
( _And all you wanted was somebody who cared. _)  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)

_-- *_Chapter 10: Remembering Home* --

"You could've told us earlier."

"I know...but we were afraid. Of what, I don't know. But...we were sort of scared of losing you guys."

-- ** --

Squall was awakened by the noise of a girl shouting his name and furiously banging on his door. He rolled off his bed and went to the door, nevermind that he was half naked in only his leather pants.

He hugged himself; it had been cold around Garden lately. He slid open the door, and Minako was there.

"I need the Ragnarok," she said, not beating around the bush.

Squall laughed, "I'm just supposed to give it to you? Yeah, right-"

"That's what Headmaster Cid says," Minako replied. She held a piece of paper out to Squall. He took it, rubbed his eyes and read it. It was from Headmaster Cid, and it said,

Squall,  
I need a favor. Lend the Ragnarok to Miss Aino,  
and I promise I'll pay you the gas money.  
If you're not busy, I'd prefer you accompany the  
group(headed for Esthar). It's important business  
concerning sorceresses, and you seem to have  
somewhat of a knack handling these things.  
- Cid Kramer

Squall nodded. "A mission to Esthar?" he asked.

"More important than that," Minako said. "Now get dressed! We need to get there as soon as possible."

-- ** --

Ami and Rei were packing in Rei's dorm.

"You think this guy can help me? I mean- I nearly killed somebody- Seifer! I-I care about him...I could explode any minute and turn on you and Minako. If that-"

"If that happens," Ami interjected, "we'll do whatever we can to get you back to normal."

"No- If I hurt you, then I want you to-"

"I want you to start packing. The quicker we get there, the quicker we can find out what's happening to you. Oh, Rei, don't be so pessimistic. You could just be having a bad day. I'm sure it's stress," Ami consoled.

Rei sighed, "Whatever you say..." But they didn't see me. They couldn't feel what I felt. This isn't stress.

When the two had their bags packed, they left the room, making a bit of noise. They slid the door shut. A few people leaned outside their dorms and asked where they were going. Zell leaned out of his dorm, shirt off and in boxers.

"Where ya goin'?" he asked Ami.

"To Esthar," Ami said to him as she passed. She was not stopping. "On the Ragnarok with Seifer."

"What? Hey, wait up!" Zell scowled. He darted back into his dorm. He emerged later in normal clothing, and he ran down the hall after Rei and Ami, who were already at the directory. "I'm not leaving you alone with that guy."

Rei giggled. "He's not a rapist or anything."

"Yeah, well he's done worse," Zell spat. He crossed his arms and got closer to Ami.

Ami smiled. Zell was so protective of her! She never felt as safe as she did when she was with Zell. Ami was probably right in thinking that nothing could touch her as long as Zell was around. It surprised her how much he obviously cared for her. Loved her. Ami blushed, and Rei giggled when she saw it.

-- ** --

Ami, Zell and Rei met Seifer, Squall and Minako at the front gate. It was still dark outside, but little rays of light could be seen shooting up over the horizon. Squall gestured for them to follow them. Everyone was behind him, save Minako, who was at his side.

"What's this all about?" Squall asked as he speed walked.

"Rei attacked Seifer. Seifer said that she was talking like- like Ultimecia, that sorceress," Minako replied.

"Impossible," Squall said flatly, "we killed her. Four years ago."

"You killed her? Psh- Tell that to Rei and Seifer."

"Where are we supposed to be going in Esthar? Don't tell me-"

"Doctor Odine? Never heard of the guy, but Headmaster Cid assured us that he's a genius when it comes to psychological matters."

"He's still alive?" Squall groaned. He wasn't liking this trip already.

-- ** --

Onboard the Ragnarok, Minako, Rei and Ami were in the passenger room, sitting silently.

"Oh..." Minako said, abruptly breaking the silence. "Ami, we have to tell Rei. About the communicators."

"Right..." Ami replied. "While you were in the Training Center with Seifer, we picked something up on the communicators. It was...Sailor Moon. She was telling us that her and Sailor Jupiter needed us. There were explosions and...and that damn spider was there!" She was suddenly, and very understandably angry. "That spider was there. The two of them couldn't handle it. I don't blame them...three of us couldn't."

Rei looked downcast. Her eyes were dark. "You know, I really resent that spider. Once all this is over, I'm going to set my Ruby Dragon on it. If we ever get back...I hate that spider! If it weren't for that goddamn spider! I would be at home. Or at the shrine with my grandfather. Maybe all five of us would be at the arcade, looking out for hot guys? One thing is for certain: I wouldn't be here, on this blasted plane! I wouldn't have nearly killed the man that I...that I...that I'm friggin' in love with! I wouldn't be absolutely terrified of hurting my two best friends- I would be in control...I really, really hate that spider!"

"You're in love with Seifer?" Minako asked, as if she couldn't see why.

"Of course I am..." Rei said miserably. "He's been there for me- forever. I mean, I nearly killed the guy, and he walked me back to my dorm just to make sure I was okay." She put her face in her hands. "I don't know what I'm going to do! I nearly killed him. I- I couldn't bare myself if I did it again. I don't want to hurt him-"

Just then, the door opened. Zell, Squall and Seifer entered.

"Hey!" Minako exclaimed, looking at Zell. "The plane needs a pilot, you know."

"Auto-pilot," replied Zell. While the other two guys sat, he leaned on a chair.

There was a tense silence.

"Yes.....?" Minako asked. They were obviously there for a reason.

"We want answers," Squall replied.

Minako laughed at how dramatic Squall had said it. "Like what?"

"Where are you from?" Seifer asked. "It's completely obvious you didn't lose your memory."

Rei sniffed. Minako took a sudden interest in her nails. Ami started fiddling with her watch.

Zell walked over to Ami and sat down by her. He took her hands into his and said softly, "I know I promised you I wouldn't bug you about it...but we gotta know. It might help Rei out." He smiled at her, a sincere look in his eyes. Ami melted for him- just like she always did when he smiled at her. God, she loved this guy...

Ami looked at her knees, and then to Minako and Rei. They shrugged in reply. Ami sighed, "All right then. Where are we from? Rei, Minako and I are from Tokyo. Japan. Earth."

Squall gave them a puzzled look before replying meanly, "There's no such place. This isn't a time to play games."

"I tried to tell you Squall," Minako snapped, "that you wouldn't understand. Tokyo is in Japan. On Earth. Far away from here."

Squall scowled at her. "Ok. We'll skip that. How did you get here?"

"A spider attacked us," Rei said, obviously very bitter. "A big, stupid, talking spider. It attacked us with Gravija, and we ended up in the forest you found us in."

Squall looked annoyed now. Even Seifer seemed skeptical. The only one who looked like he believed what they were saying was Zell. He believed them because he knew that Ami wouldn't lie to him. Squall was thinking, and suddenly he remembered something. When he had found them, a T-Rexaur nearly killed him. He saw something- he thought it was a goddess- a girl, and the girl killed off the T-Rexaur. He had asked the girls if they saw it, but they had lied and said no.

"When we found you three in the forest, a T-Rexaur attacked the three of you. I almost died, but someone saved me and you. Who? I know you know who, because if you didn't, you wouldn't have lied about seeing her. And don't try to tell me you didn't see her," Squall said.

At this, the three girls stiffened.

"I shouldn't have transformed," Minako muttered. Then louder, she said, "It was me. I'm sorry, Ami, Rei- but they should know. It might have something to do with you, Rei, and...I want you to get better soon, hun." Rei nodded, as did Ami. "The three of us have this...ability, you could call it. We can transform in senshi- warriors of sorts. It makes us a lot more powerful than we normally are, and we've got special attacks. I transformed when I saw the T-Rexaur slash at you. I thought you were going to die, and you had done it to save us, so I- I transformed. Into Sailor Venus."

"So you three are the superheroes!" Zell exclaimed. "That day while we were out training in the forest with Instructor Hui! One group nearly became dino-lunch, but a three 'angels' saved them. That was you!"

Ami nodded. Rei laughed, "We were angels for the day. And according to one of the group, the trees were bowing to us, thanking us! What these people come up with..."

"Your compact, Minako," Squall said, "tell me about your compact. What's in it?"

Minako rummaged through her bag and took it out. She opened it and showed them. "This is a screen used to talk to the rest of the Sailor Scouts- that's what we calls ourselves. There are two more back home, Usagi and Makoto. Sailor Moon and Sailor Jupiter. We use them to communicate, but we're so far from home, we can barely get any kind of reception."

"They're supposed to work through different times and dimensions, but they just won't," Ami said. "They've been working a little lately. We've been getting fuzzes all over the place. We...Minako and I saw them. They need our help. We need to get back home, quickly."

"Not until we find out what's going on with Rei," Seifer said grimly. "It's going to take more than five teenage girls to wipeout a sorceress like Ultimecia."

-- ** --

"I see..." Doc Odine said, once he had heard the whole story. He was looking at Rei with acute interest, studying her, sizing her up. She felt very transparent all of a sudden. "So if vhat you are telling me is true, zen I ve vill have to run some...tests on her."

"You're not touching her," Seifer said, stepping in front of Rei defensively. "I know you-"

"Ah, ze Sorceress Knight. I vould like a look inside your head as vell. But ve must be satisfied vith vhat ve get. Take her to ze observation room. She will be safe zere," Odine ordered.

"Safe from what?" Minako asked concernedly. Rei looked dejected.

"Herself," the doctor replied cryptically. Two assistants deck in all white escorted Rei into a door. She looked afraid, and her eyes almost pleaded for someone to stop them. But everyone stood perfectly still.

"Vith zat said, you may leave ze building. I have no need for a group of ruffians in my office," Doctor Odine said. He sniffed, almost with disdain. Ami giggled. The little man was so funny looking! And his speech was something else...Zell clearly did not like the man, however. She suspected they had a bit of a history. "Vell? Vhat are you vaiting for? Go!"

"Wait," Minako said suddenly. "I have...a problem..."

"Minako..." Squall said.

"A problem?" said the doctor, his interest piqued. "Vhat kind of a problem?"

Ignoring the looks she was getting from Squall, Minako continued, "I...feel things before monsters attack. I don't understand it. Maybe you could tell me what's going on?"

"Ah, yes, vell, I vould have to run some tests on you also. Vould that be okay?" he asked, already motioning for another set of white assistants to take Minako. Minako nodded, somewhat uncertainly. The assistants gently took her arms and ushered her through a door. "Vell zen, leave now?"

Squall shook his head. "Two of our company are detained here. We're not leaving."

Odine sniffed. "I figured as much. Vell, ve vill notify you of ze test results as soon as possible." He walked into another door, muttering something sounded like, "Interesting, very, very interesting." Just as the door was closing, Ami stood up and called for him. "Vhat is it now?!" he asked irritably.

Ami pulled her communicator out of her carry along backpack. She held it out to him. "Could you take a look at this? It might interest you."

Doctor Odine scuttled over to her and took it away from her, rather like a child taking a toy form another. He looked at, all the while muttering, "...Hmm...seems to be some sort of communication device...yes, yes, obviously...hmm...hmm...vell, let's have a looksee." With that, he promptly banged the communicator on the wall. Again and again, and again!

"Hey!" Ami gasped. "That's not replaceable! Stop that!"

When it was sufficiently damaged, Odine pulled it apart and had a look inside.

"Vow...Ze technology is very advanced. Vhere did you get zis?" he asked.

Ami crossed her arms, a little angry. "A friend," she replied, "as a gift. I really hope you can fix that!"

"Of course I can. I am Odine, and so nozing is impossible. Zis is a very curious machine." He pulled a few pieces apart and moved it into the light for a better look. "It is ingenious! But vhat is zis? Oh, yes, very, very interesting to me. Vould you mind if I had a look at zis machine in my laboratory?"

Ami looked put out. "No," she replied. He had already destroyed the thing anyway. He scuttled away into the elevator before anyone could stop him. Ami collapsed on a bench next to Zell.

"That guy..." Zell muttered. "Never try to get a straight answer outta' him. He's gotta story for everythin'. Loves the sound of his own voice..."

"You're telling me," Ami sighed, putting her head to rest on Zell's shoulder. "I hope he can do something about Rei though. I was hoping he'd be able to tell me why the communicators weren't working, too."

Seifer got up and started pacing. Without warning, he went to the elevator, pressed the button and jumped on. Squall and Zell rose from their seats.

"Ahh...where's that guy off to?" Zell asked peevishly. "Gonna start some trouble, I bet. That's all he is. Really."

Squall scratched behind his ear. He wondered if he should go after Seifer. He took a look at Zell, now shadow boxing. Ami was sitting up straight, looking concerned and worried. He shrugged and sat back down. He doubted Seifer would start something while Rei was being held in an 'observation room', which, knowing Odine, was probably more of a glass prison.

-- ** --

Rei was in a room by herself. There was a large window above her, where she saw Doc Odine moving about, shouting orders to his assistants. She wondered what he was going to do to her. Maybe he would suck the oxygen out of the room and suffocate her? Was that what they did to sorceresses now a days? I mean, she wasn't a sorceress, but Seifer seemed to think there was one inside of her. She sat on the floor against a wall and hugged her knees. The glass, Rei noticed, was obviously sound proof. Now and then Odine would throw a clipboard or something against the glass, but she wouldn't hear anything.

She studied her nails, wishing to be out of there....Then again, it was all for the best, wasn't it? Whatever it was that had happened to her in the Training Center really, really terrified her. Rei felt like she had when she first summoned a GF- completely out of control. But not only that- she felt things, emotions that were not her own. For a short period of time, she hated Seifer, wanted to kill him. Yet at the same time, she wanted to stop herself. She shook her head. Am I...a schizophrenic? I-I could be insane! Psychotic! She looked up at the window again.

Seifer was there, banging on the glass with his gunblade. Of course, Rei hadn't heard anything. He stopped when he saw Rei looking at him. Seifer smiled at her. Rei stood up and waved. 'I'm ok', she mouthed. Seifer gave her a skeptical look and went away from the glass. Rei leaned back against the wall and slid down again. She hugged her knees once more, feeling much better since she knew Seifer was up there, making sure Odine didn't kill her off.

-- ** --

Minako sat on a steel table, much like one you would find in a doctor's office. She waited, rubbing her arms because it was a little cold in there. The door slid open, and Doctor Odine entered, muttering stuff and waving his hands animatedly.

"So zis problem, explain it to me," he said abruptly, not waiting. He seemed rushed.

She told him about all her experiences, starting way back with the spider. They hadn't told them of their time travel bit yet, as no one seemed to believe them anyway, so she said she met it training one day. She told him about the bit with the Ruby Dragon. 

Odine looked at her for a moment and said, "Vell, it seems to me zat you have a sort of 'sixth sense'. Not a problem, but a gift."

"A gift? But I don't like it one bit. How can I get rid of it?"

"Ve vill have to put you under our microscope, so ve can have a look at your cells," the doctor said. "Zen ve vill see vhat ve can do about zis." He gestured for her to follow him. On his way out, he ordered an assistant to bring up a 'spare creature'. The assistant nodded and went into a corridor Minako tried to look into. Doc Odine pulled her into another room, which had a long mirror on one side. Minako figured it was one of those windows. There was a table that Doctor Odine instructed her to lay down on. She did so, flinching on top of the freezing steel. Odine left, and Minako just stared up. There were several large, large lights on the ceiling right above her, but they weren't on.

Then, without warning, the lights buzzed to life, blinding Minako with brilliant light.

"Oh, geez!" Minako exclaimed, sheiling her eyes with her hands.

"Stay still!" boomed a voice over an intercom. Minako froze, a sheepish smile on her face. Her eyes were shut, but when she sensed something hovering over her skin, she opened one and squinted to see what it was. A mechanical arm was moving what looked like a lense over her arms. It moved over her shirt on her stomach, her legs, her feet, her neck and her head. Once, it stopped over her eye that was open and sort of....looked back at her. Minako shuddered, thinking, Creepy machines...

With a snap, the lights shut off and the mechanical arms retracted somewhere toward the ceiling. Minako sat up, and Doctor Odine entered through the door.

"So, Doc, what's wrong with me?" Minako asked.

Doc Odine shook his head. "Nozing, nozing at all. Your cell membrane is highly sensitive. Zat is all really."

"But I don't understand."

"A wolf can sniff out almost anyzing anyvhere. Its sense of smell is more focused than a normal human being's. Ze same is for you, only vith your sense of touch. You cells register touch and feeling before it is vithin seeing distance. I vill give you an example." At this, Doc Odine motioned to the mirror against the wall. He crossed his arms and waited in silence. Minako scratched her head, wondering if something was supposed to be happening.

Then it did. Her skin started to tingle, like her entire body was falling asleep, but then it began to hurt. Millions of...needles! Needles were stabbing at her body! She crossed her arms, furiously rubbing her skin, wanting for it to stop. Doctor Odine reached out and placed a hand over hers.

"Zere. Did you feel zat?"

"Did I?! Yes- of course I did! Millions of needles were stabbing at me! It hurt like-"

"It vas a cactuar. I had my assistants bring a cactaur into ze room over zere. You felt it before you saw it. It seems that vhenever an animal is vithin relatively close distance, you can sense it or some of its attacks. Perhaps even ze....aura."

"Ze-" Minako started, but she realized what she had said. "Pthh...The aura? What do you mean by the aura?"

Odine narrowed his eyes at Minako. She guessed he was insulted by her slip of speech. "I do not know how to explain it. Some zings are so complex zat it is hard to make ozers understand it. You have a gift. Zere, zat is all you need to know. I have ozer zings to do. I vill have my assistant show you back to ze lobby."

-- ** --

It was growing dark outside when Minako emerged into the lobby. She yawned and threw a questioning look to Ami.

"No word yet," Ami answered, reading Minako's face.

"What about you?" Squall asked, a barely-there grin on his face.

Minako sat down next to him and glared. "According to Doctor Odine, I can sense creatures before I see them."

Squall sniffed and leaned forward. "That sounds familiar-"

"You were right for once! Better milk it. You're a guy, these kind of moments of glory don't last long for you..."

-- ** --

A few hours later, Doc Odine emerged from the elevator, flanked by a furious looking Seifer. Ami tilted her head. Judging by the look on Seifer's face, things hadn't gone well.

"Well?" Ami said.

"He's not saying anything," Seifer growled.

"Because I am not sure!" Odine exclaimed. "I need to perform a couple more tests to support my zeory!"

"Then perform them!" Minako shouted.

"My staff has gone home. Zere are some vital tests zat cannot be run by just vone person-"

Ami interjected, "So we'll help you-"

"-and I vill not allow a group of untrained kids to operate my precious machinery. Go! Leave my office!"

"We're coming back tomorrow as soon as the sun comes up, Odine," Seifer said. He produced the most intimidating, terrifying glare he could manage and threw it at Odine. "And if you so much as touch a hair on her head with the wrong intentions, I'll show you exactly what the infamous Sorceress Knight can do."

Needless to say, Doc Odine looked moderately terrified, to say the least. He nodded, sputtering something no one could understand. Ami and Minako had winced, while Zell snickered. Squall was shaking his head, praying for a quick return trip...

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
| **** End of Chapter 10 ****|  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**


	12. Family Reunion

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
****All You Wanted  
****(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**

(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
( _All you wanted was somebody who cares, _)  
( _If you need me, _)  
( _You know I'll be there. _)  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)

_-- *_Chapter 11: Family Reunion* --

"Things really mixed up then, huh?"

"Yeah. In my head, too."

"Things were mixed up in your head?"

"Yeah, thanks to you. You were so great at confusing me."

-- ** --

Minako's eyes fluttered open. Stray beams sunlight filtered through the blinds and fell majestically onto the six beds. Minako looked at the empty one, and her thoughts turned to Rei. She had to hand it to the girl, she seemed torn down about the whole possession thing, but Minako had to admit she would've have gone crazy at this state. Rei seemed, for the most part, still together. Minako was filled with a sudden admiration for one of her best girl friends.

Her eyes glanced over each of the other four members of her party.

Ami was utterly worried for Rei. Minako often heard her reassuring Rei that everything was ok, when in fact she sounded like she was trying to convince herself. Minako smiled at the thought of her and Zell. When they had to go back home, Minako knew Ami would be torn. They had made a home here on Gaea, in Balamb Garden. Tokyo seemed far away, like a distant memory.

Zell was probably the most out of control guy she had ever met. Minako smiled at him in his sleep. He was so protective of Ami it made Minako laugh. Sometimes that overprotectiveness overflowed to Minako and Rei. He was probably the closest thing she ever had to a big brother. He was wary of Seifer, which also counted for something in Minako's book.

Seifer was still a jackass to Minako. She didn't like him much, still, but her opinion of him had improved. Rei had admitted that she was in love with Seifer, and Rei had proved more than once to be a great judge of character. She wondered if he returned the feelings for Rei. Minako had to admit that he showed a lot more concern for Rei than Squall or Zell did. He sniffed in his sleep. Minako had an uneasy feeling that he knew she was looking at him, so her eyes shifted to the next bed.

Squall! That guy was probably a bigger jackass than Seifer could ever hope to be. He pushed absolutely everyone away because he was afraid of being hurt. He utterly infuriated her to no end! Nevermind that he was the best kisser Minako could ever recall knowing, that that one single kiss set her skin on fire. Nevermind that she felt a rather delightful twinge in the lower areas of her body when she thought of him, that she had found herself thinking of him on this mission more than ever. And nevermind that her eyes were hungrily raking over his half-naked body now, soaking up every part of him. A sheet covered the lower half of his body, but Minako's eyes took in his broad chest and lean torso. He shifted on to his side, facing her.

"I can feel you looking at me," Squall whispered suddenly.

Minako jumped. "Oh. Sorry." Squall's lids opened to reveal his deep brown eyes.

"No one else is up?" he asked in a quiet voice. Their conversation was in low tones.

Minako shook her head. "Just me and you."

Squall sat up, pulling the sheets over him. He rubbed his arm. It was colder in Esthar than it had been in Balamb. He looked to the blind. Bits of light fell over the other three in his party. They all appeared to be soundly asleep.

"Are you going back?" Squall asked, abrupty breaking the silence that had formed between them. He wasn't looking at her, but at the window, which was partly shielded by the plastic blinds.

"Back to the lab? Of course I am-"

"No, I mean to...Tockyou or wherever it is you say you came from," he said.

"Oh, Tokyo, you mean..." Minako started. She had meant to answer promptly, but she started thinking about it. "I- I don't really know anymore. I mean...Tokyo is my home. I have friends there. Friends that need me. But..."

"You've grown used to Balamb Garden," Squall finished.

"Yes...grown to love Balamb Garden," Minako said slowly. She looked at Squall and added, "Grown to love Balamb Garden and the people in it."

Squall shrugged. "If you go..." He shut his mouth, opened it and shut it again. He took a deep breath and sat forward, taking a sudden interest in his hands. He turned to get up, but Minako stopped him.

Minako glared. "Oh, out with it."

"If you go, we'll be losing a valuable SeeD member," Squall replied. "Cid will be furious."

A bit put out, Minako replied, "Oh. I see, well, tell him I'm sorry."

-- ** --

As Squall put on his shirt and jacket, he took sidelong glances at Minako, who was still in her bed, wrapped up in a sheet. He wondered about their conversation, what he would have said had he not caught himself. He would have told her that he would miss her, and that would have been a lie.

Right? Because there was no reason for Squall Leonhart to miss someone as annoying and bubbly as Minako. Someone as unserious and careless as Minako. Someone as...as...as distracting as Minako. Yes, she was distracting, that was for sure. He had been in class when he noticed it- he had been thinking about her. Thinking of the kiss on the Ragnarok. He had not meant to kiss her, but he did, and it changed things. It made the situation weird. But the kiss...he remembered it vividly and it made him feel things he hadn't felt in a long while. Presently, his stomach gave a great, nervous, almost painful lurch and he had a distinct feeling that it had something to do with what he felt for Minako.

Nothing.

Right? Ok, he had to admit, that after two years of knowing her, Minako had...grown on him. More than grown on him, maybe Squall kind of had feelings for her. But he had kept them at bay, for what he felt like was a good reason. Had the circumstances been different, Squall might have considered a relationship with her. Still, he knew that sooner or later, she would leave him just like everyone else seemed to do. He knew that for sure now- Minako and the girls would undoubtedly ask Doc Odine for help on getting back to their own dimension. She would leave. Again, there was a painful twinge in his stomach. His chest was tightening in an unfamiliar way.

Hyne damn it!

He jerked on his jacket. He threw a glare at Minako (Damn her for this) and left the hotel room without word.

-- ** --

Minako took the glare from Squall in silence, but when he stormed out the door, she got up off her bed and followed him.

"Hey, what was that for?" she asked, following him down the hall.

"I'm going for a walk. I'll meet you guys back at the lab," Squall said.

"Not until you tell me why you're so pissy all of a sudden. I swear, you're the moodiest guy I know!" she exclaimed, catching up to him. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

"Nothing is wrong. I glare at you because I feel like it. Are you happy now?"

"No, I'm not happy, because you're lying. You like me too much to glare at me for no reason," Minako said.

Squall rolled his eyes to the side. "Don't flatter yourself-"

"I'm not, you idiot!" Minako exclaimed angrily. "Don't even try to deny the fact that you have feelings for me! I know you do, because if you didn't, you wouldn't have kissed me."

"I told you that it shouldn't have happened-"

"But it did...And...and...you enjoyed it, as much as I did, right...?" What was supposed to be a statement turned into a question. She looked at him uncertainly. What if he didn't feel anything? What if that- that extremely wonderful feeling was one-sided? Does that mean I'm a bad kisser?

"Of course I enjoyed it," Squall replied honestly. He neglected to tell her exactly how much he enjoyed it, how much he had been thinking of it. She obviously didn't notice that he was staring at her full, pink lips now. "You're a woman, I'm a man- things happen."

Minako glared. "You know, you're pushing me away again. And I just wish you would...."

Squall glared at the floor as Minako went on. He had earned this, he shouldn't've said anything in the first place. He looked up at her. She was staring at him angrily, still speaking. He wondered- were those tears he saw forming in her eyes? Minako was gonna do it again, she was going to cry and Squall hated that. Squall was suddenly overcome with anger, and Minako's preachy voice was becoming unbearable. He wanted her to stop, to shut up. Anything to stop her from saying what he didn't want to hear--

Squall's lips tumbled down onto hers, fueled by fury. Minako gasped in surprise, and Squall took the opportunity to pass his tongue through her lips. His hands moved to the small of her back, while hers were putting pressure on his shoulders. Their tongues intertwined passionately- he kissed her like he was starving for it. Minako responded as magnificently as she could, her skin was already burning with that intense heat and her head was swirling hurricanes. Finally, he pulled away from her, taking in air.

It worked, Squall thought, smirking to himself. She shut up-

Minako slapped Squall.

"What was that for?!"

"Kissing me! Really, Squall, what is your problem?! One minute you're denying your feelings for me-"

"I didn't deny anything. Look, Minako- yeah, I feel something for you. There. What else do you expect?"

Minako looked to the side and crossed her arms. She shrugged. "I don't expect anything from you," she said quietly.

"Then why are you so set on making me admit that I've got feelings-"

"Because I've got feelings for you, you big idiot!" Minako exclaimed. A tear had fallen down her cheek. "And I don't know the custom here, but on Earth, when one person has feelings for another, they usually want that person to feel-"

"Hey, what're you guys talkin' about?" Zell asked groggily. He was leaning outside the door, only half-dressed. "Quiet down, will ya? Ami's still sleepin' and I don't want to wake her just yet."

"Sure thing, Zell," Minako replied brightly. He went back into the room. Minako turned to Squall. "Let's forget about this, huh?"

Squall nodded.

And for both of them, that proved harder than they thought.

-- ** --

Upon arrival at Odine's Laboratory, Ami noticed a heavy tension between Minako and Squall. She kept throwing glares that bordered on murderous at him. He promptly ignored most of these, and the ones he didn't, he returned with his own icy glare. Ami wondered what had gone on that morning. She heard them yelling, but chose to stay asleep, deciding it was a lover's quarrel. Which it obviously was. Ami had noticed since the Trabia mission had ended, Minako and Squall seemed to make a beeline for each other. She shrugged, hoping they would get over it before they returned home.

She walked through the glass doors of the lab, to be greeted by Odine himself. He was holding something in his hand, something silver and blue- her communicator! He had repaired, and it looked to be in tip-top condition.

"My communicator!" Ami exclaimed happily. To Minako, she explained, "I asked him to have a look at it. He nearly tore mine apart."

"And I have repaired, plus made some changes," Odine said. "Zey have been refined! Ze transmitter is now stronger zan it vas, as vell as ze reciever in it. You should be able to pick up broadcasts and messages through several times and dimensions! Vell? Try it out!"

Ami hesitated. She waved Minako over and opened up the communicator. It was exactly as she remembered it.

"Wait..." Ami said, "should Rei be here? I mean, if we- we might- if we make contact, well, she should be here. You know?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Doctor Odine? Could we see Rei for a few minutes?" Minako asked.

Odine understood that they wouldn't try out the communicators without Rei, and he really wanted to see if his latest improvements to it had worked. He motioned for two assistants to get Rei. They disappeared on the elevator.

"What will we say?" Minako asked.

Ami shook her head. "I-I don't know. I suppose we'll tell them where we are. Rei's story. Ask them how they've been...I hope it's not too awkward."

"What's not awkward?" Rei asked, coming down from the elevator. She saw the communicator it Ami's hands. "Did we- is it working?"

"Doctor Odine refined it. It might work. We wanted you to be here," Ami explained.

Rei hurried over and took a spot on Ami's other side. "Well, let's see..."

Ami punched in a few buttons. A red light in the corner was blinking, and the screen began to fuzz, like tracking on a VCR. And very suddenly, the screen flickered and an unfamiliar image blinked onto the screen. It was an old man with wild gray hair and a stubbly beard.

"Who are you?" Rei exclaimed. Odine was jupping up and down excitedly("IT VORKS! IT VORKS!").

"Me...? My name is Sir Pembleton Von Dastabod, but most people call me Pemble. And you?" he asked with a heavy English accent.

"Pemble? Where is Usagi?" Ami asked, a concerned look on her face. Horrible things were going through her head.

"Usagi? Usagi! You are a friend of Usagi's? Well, then let me get her!" Pemble exclaimed. He turned to the side and began calling out a name that the girls didn't recognize.

"Who is this guy?" mouthed Minako to the other girls. They shrugged.

A familiar figure appeared on the screen. Minako, Ami and Rei froze, which was a good thing, because if they didn't, Ami would've dropped the communicator. Usagi's odangoed head was smiling at them, a tear falling down her cheek. The three girls smiled back. Tears were forming in their eyes, and they were suddenly at a loss for words.

"...You're alive?" Usagi asked breathlessly. "You're right there!"

Ami nodded. "We're alive alright!"

Minako squealed, "Usa-chan!! I'm so...happy to see you!"

"You have no idea- I have to get Makoto! PEMBLE! Get Makoto, get her quick! Where are you- are you ok?" A look of concern took over Usagi's face.

"We're fine, just fine," Rei replied. "You? Is my grandfather ok? How are things in Tokyo?"

Usagi's face turn dismayed. "A lot has happened since you guys disappeared, but- We'll talk about that- later- I mean, this might not last long, we have to use the time-"

"What's up, Usa?" a voice asked. Rei couldn't contain her excitement.

"MAKOTO!!" she shouted into the communicator. Seifer, Squall and Zell, who were silently watching all this, winced. She could really yell. "Makoto! It's me! Rei! And Ami and Minako, too!"

A tall brunette with green eyes looked at them. She squinted and then rubbed her eyes, a disbelieving look on her face. She shook her head.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "It's you three! We thought- everyone thought you were- *gulp*- dead. But Usagi and I...we knew you weren't! We knew you weren't!" Her eyes were filled with tears, and she was bouncing up and down, causing the communicator to fuzz a little. She stopped, afraid she had broken it.

"Phew...ok, where are you guys?" Makoto asked. "We have to get to you!"

"But how? We don't even know where we are!" Minako replied.

"We're in another dimension," Ami stated. "A place these people call Gaea. Ask Setsuna for help. She should be able to get you through the right time gates."

"Right, right! Ouch- Usagi- let go of my hair!"

"I want to see them!" she cried. A hand jerked the communicator out of Makoto's hand and dropped it. The screen fuzzed a little, but they were still there. Usagi picked it up, breathlessly staring at the screen. Ami, Rei and Minako giggled.

"You guys- you have to tell me all about where you are! I mean, are there any hot guys there? Is the food good?" Usagi asked curiously. Minako squeezed in beside her. They must've put the communicator on a table or something.

Ami smiled. People don't change. "Yes, there are hot guys here-"

"Ami even got one for herself," Rei put in.

"WHAT?!" Makoto exclaimed. "Oh my goodness! Ami! Who? Is he there? Let me see!"

Zell, who had heard the conversation, started rubbing the back of his neck nervously. He was shaking his head, but Ami had moved the communicator to face him. He smiled and waved sheepishly.

"Oooh wow! Total hottie! Does he have friends?" Usagi asked.

Minako giggled, "Ok guys, time for you to meet the other half of the Sailor Scouts." She took the communicator from Ami and walked to Seifer. "Girls, this is Seifer. The blonde, ditzy one is Usagi."

"Hiya!" Usagi greeted.

"Hey," Seifer replied flatly.

"The brunette is Makoto."

"Pleased to meet you," Makoto said.

"Pleasure's mine," Seifer said tonelessly.

Minako arched an eyebrow at him and whispered to the communicator. "He's a little worried over Rei, so don't mind him."

"Rei? What's the matter with Rei?" Makoto asked. Minako shook her head.

"I'll tell you about that later. This is Squall, you guys. Squall, this one-" She pointed on the screen. "-is Makoto. That's Usagi. They're back home, in Tokyo. Do you believe our story now?" He shrugged.

"Pemble said you guys made contact with the other Scouts on the communicators," a voice said. Minako ran back to the girls, mouthing 'It's Setsuna!'.

The elegant form of Setsuna appeared on the screen. She smiled at the three girls. "We knew you weren't dead," she said, "we just didn't know where you were."

"Long time no see, Sestuna-san," Rei said.

"I'm going to use the tracker on this communicator to take the rest of the senshi over there," she said. "I'll be able to find out where you are with it. Then you can do your own thing to get back."

Ami, Rei and Minako nodded. One of the senshi's prized abilities was being able to travel through time and dimensions when the five of them were together.

"See you in a bit!" Usagi shouted from behind Setsuna. Sestuna smiled, and the communicator clicked off. The room fell into silence.

"THEY'RE COMING!!" Minako exclaimed, embracing Rei and Ami in a hug. "We're finally going home, girls."

"Like I said before, not until we find out what's going on with Rei," Seifer said. "A sorceress could ruin your tme."

"Vell, vell, vell," Odine clucked, "I zink you girls have some explaining to do, zough I zink zat I got the gist of it."

Ami, Rei and Minako explained the story of the spider, Gravija, and how the ended up in the forest. They did not, however, mention the fact that they could transform.

"Time travel!" Doc Odine exclaimed excitedly. "It is a very great zing...dangerous, yes, but great! Vhat vas it like? Your whole body obviously came vith you- vhat did it feel like?"

"Terrible..." Ami sighed, rubbing her arms. She recalled grimly what it felt like to dissolve into nothing. "We were just...dissolving into thin air..."

"I see....zat is very, very curious. But you see, I have researched time travel for many, many years. It is ze only thing out of my reach, yet I know much about it. Vould you like to hear?"

Zell rolled his eyes. "Oh, here we go again..."

"I would," Ami and Rei said together. Minako nodded to Odine, who looked rather pleased.

"Vell, time travel is a very strenuous process on ze body, mind and soul. Passing zrough several times is not somezing easy for any kind of energy. So, ze human being goes in pieces."

"Pieces?"

"Yes, pieces. Not in ze sense you are zinking of, but rather ze spiritual self goes first, and zen ze physical self follows. I know zis because of Ellone. She vas able to send a conciousness, ze spiritual self of a human being, vithout sending ze body."

"But why?" Ami questioned, obviously interested in what the doctor had to say.

"I do not know! It is a puzzle, even for me! So you say Gravija sent you here? Ze reason for zat is obvious. You say zat in your world, magic is uncommon? Vell, zen it's also obvious that to use magic in your dimension, one vould have to be incredibly strong, zerefore ze magic would be strong as vell. Ze monster zat attacked you probably had tremendous power to use an attack like Gravija, a Time magic attack. It vas so powerful, zat it caused a temporary warp in your dimension, vich is unused to such force, such energy. You simply fell into it and ended up- here."

There was a knock on the door of the lab. Ami's, Rei's and Minako's heads turned in that direction.

"You're kidding me!" Rei exclaimed, walking to the door. She opened it, and a figure bounced onto her, hugging her head.

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
| **** End of Chapter 11 ****|  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**


	13. Night Escapade

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
****All You Wanted  
****(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**

(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
( _All you wanted was somebody who cares, _)  
( _If you need me, _)  
( _You know I'll be there, _)  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)

_-- *_Chapter 12: Night Escapade* --

"Do you remember the day she ran?"

"Yes, clearly. I think it was the saddest day of my life."

-- ** --

"YOU'RE ALIVE! YOU'RE WHOLE! YOU'RE RIGHT HERE!" Usagi exclaimed.

"Wow, that was quick," Ami commented.

"Yeah, I know, Setsuna's a wiz when it comes to these kinds of things," Makoto replied, embracing her in a large hug. "I'm so happy to see you. I mean, we were beginning to lose hope!"

When Usagi finally got off of Rei, she bounded over to Minako. "You look terrific," she commented.

"So do you," Minako replied, a smile on her face. The two girls hugged each other, falling into a fit of giggles. Once all the girls had hugged all the girls, the stood in a circle to face each other.

"Where is this place? The city is totally weird! It's huge, too! Sestuna took us through a gate and we ended up in this place. We used the tracking devices on the communicators to lead us here," Usagi explained. "The people here dress really funky."

"Yeah, you could say that," Minako said uncomfortably. She was in her SeeD uniform, like Ami and Rei.

"So....are we going back home?" Usagi asked, smiling.

"No!" Zell said. The guys had been silent up until this time, and Makoto and Usagi smiled at Zell. "I mean, you know, Rei's still got her problem."

At this, Rei smiled sheepishly at Usagi and Makoto.

"We're here, so tell us what's going on," Makoto demanded.

"Gee..." Rei started, "I don't know where to begin. Um, well..."

Rei told them the story about her attacking Seifer, and why she was in Esthar("Esthar? So that's what it's called..."). Seifer even spoke up to tell them about the sorceress Ultimecia and his theory that Rei was possessed. Doc Odine told them that he would konw for sure what was wrong with her by the next morning. Usagi and Makoto listened intently.

"Of course, it would be...stupid, very stupid to let Rei go free in your dimension if she is possessed by Sorceress Ultimecia," Seifer said. "She's the most powerful sorceress this world has known- she could wreak havoc, destroy things..." His voice trailed off.

"I understand," Makoto said seriously. "But once she's ok, we have to go back home. A lot has happened there..."

"Like what?" Minako asked.

Usagi shook her head. "A spider attacked the day you disappeard. We couldn't handle it. It destroyed the city. The outers finally came to our rescue, but the city is still in ruins. It takes more than two years to rebuild a city...things are going slowly. A lot of people have just left for Kyoto or Osaka, but...a few people remain. We're gonna rebuild Tokyo. But it's overrun with monsters! That thing...it must've been breeding or something, because there are tiny little spiders everywhere. They're extremely deadly, but usually one of us on our own can handle it."

"Tiny spiders?" Seifer asked.

"Yeah, creepy little things that scuttle around at night..." Makoto shuddered. Seifer seemed to withdraw into his own thoughts.

Minako yawned. "Let's go back to the hotel! I'm getting sleepy..." It had been a long day, and the sun was falling over the skyline of Esthar.

"Rei must stay here!" Odine shouted.

"Why?" Usagi asked.

"Because if she doesn't, the sorceress could take over her from inside," Seifer said. "She'll be safe in the observation room."

"Whatver you say," Usagi replied, saluting him sarcastically. Makoto and Usagi went to Rei and each took long hugs from each of her. They told her how much they missed her, and they hoped they would have Sailor Mars back soon.

Rei nodded, calling after them, "Have fun in Esthar! And don't do anything that I wouldn't do!" The four girls giggled and waved as they walked out the door of Odine's Lab. The guys followed. Seifer remained a second longer, giving a look that was almost apologetic to her. Once everyone had gone, two of Odine's assistants took her back to the observation room where she had been spending her nights.

-- ** --

It was late. The girls had decided on getting a room on their own, so they guys were together in another. Seifer was up, looking out the window. He was quiet, careful not to wake Zell or Squall. He began pacing, and the plastic blinds moved as he passed them. Moonlight fell into the room, illuminating his dull surroundings. Seifer had been trying to sleep for sometime now, but to no avail. His old dreams were returning to him worse than ever.

He could hear her, in his head, threatening to take away his dreams...When Seifer was a kid, he was constantly plagued by dreamless sleeps, something he grew to hate and fear. He couldn't understand why falling asleep to darkness terrified him- he guessed it reminded him of something like dying. And so the sorceress promised to give him dreams, and to grant his wish of becoming a Knight. But knights have honor, and he gave all that up the moment he sacrificed Rinoa to Adel. He was still paying dearly for that thoughtless act.

Seifer, you foolish, worthless boy...She had said it to him over and over every time he had failed, and somehow, he was hearing it again, he had failed again. At what? Protecting Rei....He knew Ultimecia was using Rei to get back at him. Seifer cursed quietly. He put on his clothes, grabbed Hyperion on left the room without a noise.

Once outside, Seifer was astounded by the realization that the dead of night wasn't at all dark in Esthar. Lights from shops, hotels and nearby houses were on, flashing and blinking. He saw a great bulb lighting up the sign that read PRESIDENTIAL PALACE. He smirked, wondering if that old goof was still President. Laguna Loire, rumored to be the greatest ruler Esthar had ever had. Ultimecia had been kind enough to inform him that after defeating SeeD, she would go after Laguna before time compression. Of course, her plans slowly began to unravel, and instead of killing SeeD, she ended up deciding on time compression first.

He walked almost aimlessly for a few more minutes, until he turned up at Odine's lab. The doors were locked for sure, but a door was nothing in the way of Seifer Almasy. He walked to the door and twisted the knob- to his ultimate surprise, it was unlocked. He figured that Odine had set up some sort of security device. Ah, what the hell. Wing it. Seifer simply walked through the lobby, expecting an alarm to go off any minute. When it didn't, he stepped onto the elevator, went up and walked into the control room. There was a lock for Rei's door up there, and he breifly wondered if it was safe unlocking it. He looked through the glass. Rei was sitting against a wall, and she seemed to be nodding off. He clicked the button and took the elevator back down. He pushed the door to the observation room open.

Rei looked up upon his entrance. She stood up and ran to him.

"What're you doing here?" she asked. "Doctor Odine will kill you-"

Seifer laughed. "Odine? Kill me? Do you really have that little faith in me?"

"I have plenty of faith in you," Rei said. "So what're you doing here?"

He shrugged. "Came to check up on you. Make sure you're ok."

"Well, I'm fine."

Nodding, Seifer replied, "That's good. Anything weird going on in there?" He gestured to her head.

Rei glared. "No. Like I told you, I'm just fine. Go back to the hotel. Sleep!"

"I can't anyway," Seifer admitted. "I told you I was having sleeping problems the night you tried to kill me."

"Oh....sorry about that," Rei apologized. "I don't think I ever apologized for nearly murdering you."

"About a billion times!" Seifer said. "You're forgiven. You have a damn sorceress inside of you. I talked to Doc Odine. He said that Ultimecia could have possibly controlled your emotions. I understand what you went through, because she's done it to me. None of it was real, so I don't mind."

"Well...." Rei began uncertainly, "not all of the things I felt for you were fake. I mean, I see what you're getting at Seifer, and no...just, that's not true. Sure, I could be possessed, but I'm still me. I still...love you, and that's me talking- not a sorceress."

Seifer turned to her and started scaling her body with eyes. Had she just said what he thought she said? That she loved him? Well, of course she did. Rei had told Seifer once before that he reminded her of a big brother. His eyes grew dark. "I'm still just a big brother to you, huh?"

Rei's eyebrows furrowed. "Are you getting tired of me?"

"Tired of you?" Seifer laughed, "Of course not, Rei." That's the opposite of the problem...

"Then why does me calling you my big brother bother you so much?"

Seifer gave her a calculating look. He had an idea, but it could ruin so much! Two years worth of a friendship...He tilted his head as he thought about another reaction. It could start something ultimately greater than the risk. He went for it, remembering the thought he had went he entered the lab, Ah, what the hell. Wing it.

"Because of this..." he started, but his words were lost as he moved to her, and his lips met hers for a kiss. Rei was a bit stiff to start off, and Seifer was terrified, for one heart wrenching moment, that he had made a mistake. But when Rei's lips parted, giving him access to her sweet mouth, the word 'mistake' was the furthest from Seifer's mind. She was absolutely perfect, responding to him wonderfully. He moved his hands around her hip, and she stood on her toes, trying to taste as much of his mouth as possible. Seifer was in swimming in pure bliss- this is what he had wanted since the moment he had fallen in love with sometime a year ago.

Rei pulled her lips away from his and laid her head on his chest.

"You know," said Rei, mind still swimming, "this is impossible. It's extremely likely that I'm a schizophrenic who's other half wants to kill you. If not, then there is a sorceress inside of me that wants to kill you. What's more, you're a SeeD, sworn to kill the sorceress."

He placed a hand on her chin an urged her to look at him. "I was the Sorceress Knight once, I'll be the Sorceress Knight again."

She smiled sadly at him. "You should go now. Make sure to lock the door on the way out."

"You'll be ok?" he asked, a look of concern on his face.

Rei placed a delicate kiss on his lips. "I'll be fine."

Seifer turned and left the room, throwing one last glance at her. Rei slid against the wall and fell onto her bottom softly. She hugged her knees, and she couldn't help the insanely delighted smile that came to her face.

He loves me!

A small click in the door told her that it was now locked. She looked up and saw the tail end of his trench coat swirling dramatically. Every bit of him was gone, and Rei was at a loss. Several times during the night, she found herself crying tears of joy. The man of her dreams returned every bit of feeling. And he was a fantastic kisser.

-- ** --

The next morning, Usagi woke before everyone else, which was highly unusual. It's just that someone was banging on the door, screaming for Minako. She rolled off her bed, somewhat crabbily, and woke up Minako, who woke instantly.

"Hmm...?" she said, rubbing her eyes.

"Don't you hear it?" Usagi asked. "Someones...*yawn*...calling you."

Minako did in fact hear the furious banging and her name being called. She recognized Squall's voice and briefly wondered what she had done wrong now. She answered it, and he looked flustered.

"Minako," he said breathlessly.

She immediately noticed something was wrong. "What's the matter?"

"Rei escaped from Odine's lab. Her mind has been completely overtaken by Ultimecia."

**(¯`'· ·'´¯)  
| **** End of Chapter 12 ****|  
(_.·'`(_.·'`(_.·'`´'·._)´'·._)´'·._)**


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